The Losers (Rewrite)
by Dragon6
Summary: It only takes one person to change history. What if a simple act of kindness creates four of the best friends in Konoha's history? Not a yoai.
1. Chapter 1

_**Chapter 1**_ – Friendship

Kiba Inuzuka was enjoying the park just like every other kid. The sun was beginning to set but he didn't mind. He was only seven after all. Also he was scared of his mother. She told him to stay at that park until she came for him. It wasn't long until she came for him. He and his partner Akamaru happily went over to her. She just smiled and the two began to leave. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of someone from his class. It was Naruto Uzumaki.

Kiba really didn't mind Naruto, unlike the others. Yeah, he was a loser and not all that smart but he always had an escape plan. His pranks were kind of funny too. However, he noticed how alone he always was. He hid it well but there were times that he would see his sad expression. He always wondered why but those thoughts would quickly disappear. Anyway, it looked like Naruto was alone again and he decided to do something about it.

"Hey mom, can we invite that guy to dinner tonight?" Kiba asked, pointing toward Naruto. Tsume Inuzuka looked at the person he was pointing to. She knew of Naruto, mostly due to what he held within him. Unlike many in the village, she never held any type of animosity toward him. He was a hero in her eyes and was disgusted with the way he was treated. She gave her son a smile.

"Why not? Go and invite him." Tsume said. Kiba cheered and made his way over to where Naruto was sitting.

_**XXX**_

Naruto was a little nervous and cautious as to where he was. He was searching for exits just in case this was another trap. It had happened before and it could happen again. He was really surprised that Kiba asked him to dinner. Everyone usually ignored him or ridiculed him. He didn't know why but it always happened. So when Kiba had to drag him to his home for dinner, he was a little happy and a little scared.

Kiba looked at Naruto and gave him a slap to the back.

"Would you relax? You act like someone is trying to get you." Kiba joked.

"Sorry but everyone doesn't really treat me right. I'm a little on edge about the visit. Not to insult your family or nothing but I keep thinking that this is a trap." Naruto explained bluntly.

"Why would we want to hurt you? You've never pranked the Inuzuka clan. I did like what you did to the Hyūga. That was funny." Kiba said with a laugh. Naruto chuckled and held his nose up as he remembered that day.

"So it was you who did that prank? How you were able to get pass the Byakugan?" a voice asked. The two turned around and they saw a young female. She had long brown hair, which was in a ponytail with two locks of hair framing her face and, large, black eyes. She also was wearing a light shade of lipstick and has the traditional fang-like tattoos like Kiba. Naruto also saw an extra tattoo on her upper right arm that resembles a flower. She was wearing a standard medical uniform. She had softer features unlike Kiba and his mom. It made her very cute.

"So who's your friend runt?" Hana asked. Kiba just sucked his teeth at her.

"Naruto, this is my pain in the butt sister, Hana. Pain in the butt, this is Naruto." Kiba introduced. It earned him a smack to the back of the head. She then looked at Naruto.

"Well at least Kiba has a very cute friend." Hana said. Naruto blushed at the compliment while Kiba gagged in disgust.

"Okay, that's enough horse play. Dinner is ready." Tsume called out. They all made their way to the table where there was a small dinner. Kiba attempted to dive in but he was bopped in the head by Tsume. "Don't be rude boy! The guest gets first." Kiba nodded meekly and served Naruto his food. As they ate, Tsume looked at Naruto.

"So, I heard that you pranked the Hyūgas? I'm curious about that myself." Tsume asked with a grin. Naruto gulp down his food and began to go into a story of how he humbled the mighty Hyūga clan.

_**XXX**_

Naruto was looking around and saw that people were looking at him and Tsume. After dinner, Naruto was preparing to leave when she offered to take him home. Naruto told her that it was okay but she was very instant. He got the message after her scary smile. Either way, Naruto was worried that someone would try to do something. While he was mostly left alone by the civilians, the drunken ones tend to get ballsy. He did not really know that he was with the ballsiest of woman around. No one had the stones to outright fight Tsume Inuzuka.

"You know, it's really okay. I can finish my way home by myself." Naruto said.

"Why are you trying to get rid of me kid? I think it's sweet that you wish to protect me from the glares of these morons but unlike them, I don't see you as a pain." Tsume said.

"Oh, you saw that huh?" Naruto said sadly. Tsume placed her hand on his head.

"Naruto, you might not understand it now but you are a hero in the making. One day, these people will see you in a positive light. You just have to keep at it. You also have to do better in your studies. As ambitious as you are, I can't serve a stupid Kage." Tsume joked. Naruto was very surprised to hear her tell him that. I was the first time that someone had acknowledged him and his dream. Tsume was a little surprised when Naruto turned away from her. She caught the scent of salt. "Are you crying?" Naruto sniffed a little before facing her. He gave her a big smile.

"Nah, I had something in my eye." Tsume just smiled at Naruto. That must have been the first genuine smile he ever gave.

_**XXX**_

After that night, Kiba and Naruto began to hang out. Naruto had a running buddy when he cut out of class with and Kiba had a decent sparring partner. They were beginning to become friends in and out of class. However, Kiba began to notice that some of the friends that he made were beginning to distance themselves from him. At first, he just ignored it but he began to notice that everyone was keeping their distance. Even the parents, who he knew, were keeping them away from him.

Kiba was not one to just ignore something like that. He decided to corner a group of his friends. He gave them a frown.

"Okay, I've had enough of this. Why in the hell are you guys avoiding me? What have I done to you?" Kiba demanded.

"Look, it isn't that we don't what to be your friends Kiba but it's who you're hanging with." One of them said. Kiba was confused until he got what they were saying.

"What's your problem with Naruto? He's a decent guy." Kiba said.

"Come on man, do you know that he's bad news. Every adult tells us that he's dangerous." Another guy told him.

"How the hell do you know?!" Kiba growled. "You don't know the guy! If you sit with him for just minute, you see that he more than just a dope! You're just making judgments because a few adults told you to?"

"Hey man, you wanted to know why we are avoiding you and we told you why! You want to keep hanging out with the loser then that makes you a loser too!" the third one said.

"What did you call me?" Kiba spat.

"Just stay away from us Inuzuka. If you're friends with Naruto Uzumaki, then you're no friend of ours." The three boys walked away from the enraged Kiba. He couldn't believe those guys would just stop being his friend because of Naruto. What was their issue with him? Unknown to him, Naruto had heard the argument between them. He felt bad for Kiba and it was something that he was worried about. While it was fun that he had a friend in Kiba, he knew that if he associated with him there would be trouble.

That's when Naruto made a choice. While it was something that hurt, he knew that it was the right decision.

_**XXX**_

Tsume was relaxing, enjoying the sun that was shining down on her. She had no missions to do and was glad for the quiet that she and Kuromaru could have. That's when she saw her son. She could see that he was angry because he tossed his bag to the ground. It looked like he was having a problem with something or someone. With a sigh, she decided to deal with it.

"Kiba, that's enough! I've warned you about those bad words!" Tsume shouted at him. Kiba cringed and looked her way. She gave him a look and Kiba quickly calmed down. "Now, what's your issue this time?"

"It's Naruto. He's beginning to act like those idiots I use to call friends." Kiba said with a sigh.

"What do you mean?" Tsume asked.

"A couple of the guys I knew started to avoid me because I was hanging out with Naruto. We got into an argument and they called me a loser. The next day, Naruto started to avoid me too. I tried to cut him off but he's too crafty. I thought that those punks said something so I went after them." Kiba said.

"So that's why you're late?" Tsume asked. Kiba just looked down at his feet. "Don't worry about it. I won't punish you this time. However, I don't want you to be angry at Naruto. As dumb as it sounds, Naruto was trying to protect you."

"What are you talking about?" Kiba asked curiously. Tsume thought for a second before speaking.

"Naruto carries a burden, something he had placed on him since the day he was born. This burden has caused the village a lot of pain and everyone see Naruto as the scapegoat. It is one of the reasons he is all alone and we people do like him." Tsume explained.

"But, it was placed on him at birth right? So he never asked for it? It's stupid to blame Naruto for something that he did not ask for." Kiba stated.

"Exactly. I'm not one of those people because Naruto is just a little boy who wants to be acknowledged. He hides a lot behind that happy mask of his." Tsume said.

"So, what do I do? I really don't care about those guys but Naruto is cool. I don't mind having him as my friend. I don't care what the people say." Kiba said. Tsume smiled at her son's words.

"Well then, you better show him that you don't care what people say."

_**XXX**_

Naruto couldn't believehis luck. He didn't even know why these guys were chasing him. He did have some fun and made them mess up during the chase. However, that had just come to an end. Naruto was cornered and the three were closing in on him. He prepared to fight them off but the numbers were against him.

"So you think you can send Kiba after us just because you can't fight your own battles?" the leader sneered.

"I didn't send Kiba after you. He was just being a good friend unlike you. I ignored him because you jerks decided to leave him out in the cold and I thought it would make things better for him. Guess I was wrong because, you guys remained the same assholes as before." Naruto spat. This enraged the three and they prepared to charge. That's when the leader was tackled from behind. A small white puppy latched on to another's leg. Kiba straddled the leader and raised his fist.

"If you mess with Naruto, then you mess with me!" Kiba shouted and decked the guy. The last remaining bully managed to grab him and hold him. The leader got ready to get up and attack but he was punched in the jaw by Naruto. Kiba threw his head back, making the boy release him. He then tackled the guy and began to wail on him. The ruckus could be heard from the street and some just watched as the fight continued. It finally came to a close when the cops arrived.

_**XXX**_

Kiba and Naruto were in a cell together. They sat across from each other, not speaking. After a few moments, Kiba looked at him with an angry face.

"Well, don't you have something to say to me Naruto?" Kiba demanded.

"Look, I just didn't want you to get into any more trouble. I know that people don't like me and I didn't feel right that you were losing your friends because of me. I thought that I was doing you a favor." Naruto explained.

"I don't care what they think. You're a cool dude. Yeah, you're a little slow but you're a good guy. If they can't see that about you, then I don't want them as my friend. Besides, who am I going to bail with during Iruka's boring lectures? Not those guys, they're too chicken to do it." Kiba joked. Naruto chuckled and looked at Kiba. He then stuck out his hand at him.

"Friends?" Naruto asked.

"Friends." Kiba answered and took his hand. They shook and laughed. That's when they felt the cold hand of death grab them. They slowly turned to see Tsume standing by the cell. Her arms were folded and she was tapping her foot. Even Naruto knew that this meant trouble.

That night, neither boy could sit down properly.

_**XXXXX**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter 2**_ – Bet

Tsume stood in front of the elders of the clan. It consisted of three old people and three ancient K-9. The group looked at the woman who was facing them without fear. She was called to face them after a month of rumors. She wasn't stupid of the rumors going around the village. Apparently, her clan was accused of protecting Naruto. Kiba really had to word his words better because it was perceived that any action against Naruto was an action against them. That was not the truth but it was worrying people, mostly civilians.

"_**Do you know why we called you here today Tsume?**_" one of the K-9 asked.

"I do but I think it is a waste of time." Tsume said.

"_I understand your frustration Tsume but it is a concern of the clan that you might have put the village against us._" One of the elders spoke.

"Why? Because my son is friends with the container?" Tsume growled.

"_We are not against it. Your son is free to be friends with whoever he wants. We just want to let the village know that we are not really protecting him._" Said another elder.

"_**Image is everything in this village Tsume. If it looks like that we are protecting him, the village may turn on us just like they did the Uchiha.**_" Another K-9 added.

"We aren't the Uchiha and I'm not telling anyone to attack the populace if they mess with Naruto. My son was speaking without thinking when he helped him out. As a whole, the Inuzuka are not going to fight with the civilians. I will go before the council and explain that. My son and Naruto are just friends." Tsume explained.

"_We would like that. We do apologize for this Tsume but we are only looking out for the clan."_ The last elder said.

"I understand perfectly and I'll have no issues. I'll go and speak with the Konoha council right now." Tsume said.

"_**Where are your son and young Naruto? I know that they are on the grounds.**_" Asked the final K-9.

"Oh, Hana is teaching them how to fight." Tsume answered with a grin. The six can only chuckle at the grin of the Inuzuka leader.

_**XXX**_

Kiba and Naruto hit the ground hard. Both struggled to get up and face Hana. The young woman had an amused grin on her face and it was pissing Kiba off. It wasn't the only thing that pissed him off.

"Damn it Naruto, get your head in the game! We can't let her beat us up like this!" Kiba exclaimed.

"Hey, it isn't my fault! She's cheating!" Naruto exclaimed back.

"I'm a kunoichi Naruto so there is no such thing as cheating. I'm only using what I have to win. It isn't my fault that you are a little pervert." Hana said amusingly.

"I'm not a pervert! Yes, I admit that you're cute but that does mean that you aren't cheating by pushing up your cleavage!" Naruto tried to reason. This only made her laugh. Naruto looked at Kiba. "Okay Kiba, let's get going."

"Now you're talking. Let's go Naruto, Akamaru!" Kiba shouted. The two boys and small pup ran toward Hana. Kiba and Naruto changed positions as they neared her. When they were close enough, the two boys attacked. Punches and kicks were thrown at the young woman. Hana was impressed that they were in better sync than before. When they hit each other earlier it was pretty funny. Still, it was time to show these two who they were messing with.

Hana whistled to her dogs. The three charged and attacked the two boys. Kiba and Naruto were not expecting it. Kiba was a little faster and managed to avoid the rush but Naruto and Akamaru were not so lucky. Both were pinned by the three brothers. Kiba was not spared as Hana hit him with a medium powered Fang over Fang. Kiba hit the side of the house with a thud and laid there. When Hana came out of her rotation, she looked at her brother with worry.

"Whoops." She said. Naruto looked at her with fear. She was just as scary as her mother.

_**XXX**_

Iruka Umino use to like his easy life. He was a chūnin, he was teaching the future ninja of the village and he was feeling good about it. Then he got Naruto in his class and everything just went to hell. He was rude, crass and a prankster. He was a victim of one of them. Still, he saw a lot of good in him. He had the potential to be one of the best. He just wished that he would just take things seriously. Right now, Naruto was staying after class after his latest prank on the teachers.

"Really Naruto, super glue? What were you thinking Naruto?" Iruka asked with a sigh.

"What? You were going on and on about the Rope Escape Jutsu that I thought it would work with super glue. I guess I proved you guys wrong." Naruto joked.

"It isn't funny Naruto!" Iruka exclaimed. He took a breath and faced him. "You know, you were starting to improve in your studies. You and Kiba were improving, making me very happy. However, you are still acting like a child and not like a shinobi." Iruka lectured.

"Okay, I'll admit that it was childish but I was just trying to make things interesting. You have to admit, your lectures are boring. I would pay attention if you made the lessons a little interesting." Naruto argued. Iruka looked ready to shout at him but he held back. He just folded his arms and gave Naruto a serious look.

"Okay Naruto, tell me what you mean by that?" Iruka asked seriously. Naruto was surprised by what Iruka said but he was already in deep. It was time to go all in.

"Okay, I think that if you're going to do history, you should also add historic battles and ask what each of us would have done instead. Let the class talk and discuss. Also, we could do more activities outside of the class. You know, like a mock mission or something. Give the class a taste of what ninja life is all about. I personally think that you'll hold a lot of people's attention if you do." Naruto explained. Iruka listened and he had to admit that Naruto had a point. It wasn't really a big demand that Naruto was making and it did sound like a good idea. Still, he couldn't just let Naruto get his way. He had to earn this little favor.

"Okay Naruto, how about we have a bet?" Iruka said with a grin. Naruto looked at Iruka with a curious expression.

_**XXX**_

"So let me get this straight? If you win this bet, Iruka will change the class up and make it interesting. If you lose this bet, you have to spend the rest of the term after school, studying with Iruka. All you have to do is pass the test that is coming up in a week?" Kiba asked Naruto.

"Yeah, that's the bet." Naruto answered him.

"Okay, no offense to you man, but that had to be one of the greatest sucker bets ever. There is no way you will pass that test." Kiba said to him.

"Come on, don't wimp out on me. Do you know what this means? It would mean more interesting classes. You've got to help me study for this test. I know that you take better notes than me." Naruto said.

"Okay, I'll help you study. Let's hit the books." Kiba said. Naruto gave him two thumbs up.

_Five minutes later…_

"Oh my god, my head hurts." Naruto groaned. Kiba was snoring.

"This is just pathetic. I thought you wanted to have more interesting classes?" Tsume asked.

"But this is so boring." Naruto whined. It earned him a slap to the back of the head. Kiba also got one and was immediately up.

"Stop complaining, focus and study your work." Tsume ordered. There was a groan from both boys as they began to study.

_**XXX**_

Iruka and his fellow instructors were grading today's test. He was interested in seeing how Naruto did. He watched him as he took the test and was very impressed that he was not having any trouble. He barely saw him making eraser marks. He was kind of hoping that he passed the test. As he finished one of the test papers, he looked across from him and saw one of his co-workers furiously erasing someone's test. He was curious as to why he was doing that. He could not see who it was because he was way across from him. He did not like the grin on his face. Iruka narrowed his eyes at the man as he was up to no good.

_**XXX**_

Today was a weird day for the class. They would have gotten their scores for the test today. However, Iruka told them that the scores were left back at his home. He apologized and promised that the scores would be out tomorrow. As the day ended, Iruka called out to Naruto to stay after school. There were a couple of snickers as everyone else left. Naruto was wondering why he was being kept after class and faced Iruka.

"Naruto, you're going to have to retake the test." Iruka stated.

"What? Why?" Naruto exclaimed.

"Let's just say that for once you have a valid point that the instructors are out to get you." Iruka said. Naruto looked at Iruka with surprise. Iruka believed him about that. "That person who did it no longer works here. Also, I don't want to win this way so you're going to retake the test."

"Okay sensei, I'll retake the test." Naruto said and took a seat. Iruka put the test in front of him and sat down. Naruto took a breath and started to take the test. Iruka sat there and watched him do so. It would take Naruto forty minutes to finish the test and two to go over his answers. Naruto handed the test to Iruka and waited. Iruka began to grade the test while a nervous Naruto stood there. It took Iruka ten minutes to grade the test. He looked at Naruto before showing him his score.

"Seventy, I got a seventy!" Naruto asked loudly and happily.

"I guess that mean you win the bet Naruto." Iruka said with a smile. Naruto jumped into the air and cheered for his victory. Iruka just smiled.

_**XXX**_

Iruka sat in the lounge after calming Naruto down and sending him home. While he was happy that Naruto had won the bet, he was a little concerned that he would not be able to deliver. He could go to the Hokage but it might not get passed due to the fact that he might need to inform the council. Still, a deal was a deal and he needed to come through or Naruto might lose respect for him.

"You look like someone who is in a bind." A voice said. Iruka turned and saw someone he instantly knew. It was Ibiki Morino, the commanding officer of the Torture and Interrogation department. He didn't know the man personally but he knew of his reputation.

"Oh, how are you Morino sensei?" Iruka asked.

"No need to be formal. I'm just here to get a drink. You're that academy instructor right? Are those brats giving you're a hard time or something?" Ibiki asked.

"Oh no, it isn't that. A student and I made a bet. He won fair and square so now I must come up with a way to make class a little more interesting." Iruka explained.

"What do you mean by interesting?" Ibiki asked.

"Well, the student said that," Iruka went into what Naruto told the day he made the bet. Ibiki was very surprised that a kid was able to come up with something that was reasonable. He had an opinion about how the academy was run and it was not positive. To hear that a kid highlighted things that he agreed with, made him smile.

"Who was this student that you made the bet with?" Ibiki asked.

"Naruto Uzumaki was the student. Why?" Iruka asked.

"I'll tell you what Iruka; I will help you make the class a little interesting." Ibiki said with a grin. Iruka looked a little worried.

_**XXX**_

Two days later, everyone was piled into the class. Iruka and Mizuki started the class by assigning team. Everyone was confused but allowed it to happen. Naruto and Kiba were teamed with the two class slackers, Shikamaru Nara and Choji Akimichi. As everyone got in with their teammates, the room got quiet and the two chūnin instructors looked at the door. In stepped a man who gave off a very intimidating aura. The scars on his face did not really help. The man looked at the class and gave them all a harsh glare.

"I am Ibiki Morino and until lunch, you all belong to me!" Ibiki stated loudly.

_**XXXXX**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Chapter 3**_ – Mission

Everyone looked at the imposing figure that had just spoken. He was a tall man and had a very scary look on his face. He had to be someone important due to the clothes he was wearing. Everyone just did not like being in the same room as the man.

"Uh, can you…" one brave student spoke but he was quickly silenced with a glare.

"Did I give you permission to speak?" Ibiki demanded, tossing a little bit of intent. The boy quickly sat back down. He faced the class and continued. "As I said, my name is Ibiki Morino and that is all you will get from me. Today's exercise is for this class to learn more about me. You will be released into the village to do your best to get more information. You have until lunch to complete this objective. However, there will be penalties."

"W-What kind of penalties?" asked a kunoichi.

"If your information is weak, you will fail. If you are late arriving back, you fail. If you don't impress me, you fail." Ibiki said. Everyone looked at the man with wide eyes. "Now, if you all have your teams, the exercise begins now." Everyone got up and filed out quickly to complete the exercise.

_**XXX**_

Naruto and Kiba faced the other two of their team. The first was Choji, the plump ninja who you will never call fat if you knew what was good for you. The second was Shikamaru, the laziest person in the entire village. They all just stood in the yard of the academy just looking at each other.

"So, what's our plan?" Kiba asked.

"I don't know about you guys but I'm going to lay down here and watch the clouds." Shikamaru said.

"What are you talking about? We have an exercise to complete!" Naruto exclaimed.

"I didn't ask for this exercise. I was going to just go to sleep in class when that guy showed up and ruined it." Shikamaru stated.

"Hey, we're not going to fail just because of your laziness!" Kiba shouted.

"Hey guys, let's calm down for a second." Choji said.

"Look, what would be the point? If everyone is thinking like everyone else, they are probably heading to the archives to get information of this guy. That place will be crowded and stuffy. I'm not going to go there." Shikamaru argued.

"Well then, we won't go there. We'll go to the place that he works!" Naruto said with a loud voice. This gets the attention of his teammates.

"What are you talking about?" Choji asked.

"The clothes he wears, I know where he might work. I've been there a couple of times. So come on, let's go and we might get some information about the guy." Naruto said, urging the group. Kiba was in but the other two were no so forthcoming. That's when Naruto got an idea. He reached into his pockets and pulled out a wad of coupons. He held them in front of Choji. "These are some vouchers for Ichirakus' ramen. You help us get a good grade and they're yours."

"Sold!" Choji exclaimed. Shikamaru sighed and looked at his friend. He just scratched the back of his head and gave an annoyed grunt.

"Fine, I'll help out." Shikamaru said. All on the same page, they began to follow Naruto to where the guy might have worked. After a few steps, Naruto stopped them and gave them all a look.

"What's up Naruto?" Kiba asked.

"Look, whatever you see happen, don't do anything and don't laugh at me." Naruto warned. The others were confused by that.

_**XXX**_

It took all of Kiba's willpower not to bust a gut right now. This had to be the funniest thing ever. Shikamaru, Choji, Akamaru and himself just watched as Naruto was face down on the ground, being searched by the people of the Konoha Village Prison. It took a whole five minutes for the group to search and remove every bit of items Naruto might have been carrying. He was then picked up by the people there and released. Naruto just grumbled at the workers there.

"You know, this is getting really old and unnecessary, Tonbo, Shimon." Naruto said with a frown. A man with the upper half of his face is completely wrapped in bandages and his forehead protector is drawn all the way over his eyes and a man with shoulder-length brown hair with two long bangs in the front just gave him a look.

"Well, if you didn't prank us so badly that time, we wouldn't need to do this every time you enter here." Tonbo replied.

"First of all, you found no proof it was me! Second of all, if I did do anything, it was because you jerks started it!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Why are you here Naruto?" Shimon asked.

"The group and I have to do an assignment of a ninja of the village. We were given the name Ibiki Morino. I recognized his uniform and assumed that he worked here." Naruto said.

"Well, you're right about that. He's the head of the Torture and interrogation Force." That surprised the four males and puppy. "Ibiki Morino is one of world greatest interrogators. He's well known as someone you never want to get captured by. He doesn't just get the information out of you, it's said that he can't take your soul as well." Shimon said

"R-Really?" Naruto asked nervously. The two just chuckled at him.

"No, not really but he is very skilled. He can subjugate any one to huge amounts of pain without getting physical. It's an ability that he has that has earned him such a reputation. He's also good at reading people and very insightful. He's a master of human psychology and one tough son of a bitch." Tonbo said

"How tough is he?" Kiba asked.

"He has a bunch scars on his body that is never seen. Those are all from being tortured himself. Some of them are pretty brutal. Despite that, he never gave up any information to the enemy." The guys looked amazed at what was told to him.

"Wow, this guy sounds bad-ass! Is he here? Can we speak with him?" Naruto asked, getting a curious look from his friends.

"Sorry Naruto, he's out for most of the day. I don't know when he'll be back." Shimon explained.

"Well, do you know anyone else we can talk to about him?" Naruto asked. Shikamaru looked at Naruto with wide eyes.

"Well, I know that he's pretty close with several ANBU members and the former head of the department." Tonbo said.

"Yeah, the best bet would be to seek out Inoichi Yamanaka. I doubt you'll find any ANBU that has worked with Ibiki more than once." Shimon added.

"Thanks Shimon, Tonbo. You've been a real help." Naruto said. The group left the prison and stood outside. Shikamaru gave Naruto a look.

"Why did you ask them if there was anyone else that we could talk to? Don't we have enough to give that Ibiki guy?" Shikamaru asked.

"I don't think that's enough. Look at what we have so far. We know that he's the head of the Torture and interrogation Department. He's the world greatest interrogator, highly intelligent and tough as balls. That isn't enough to take back." Naruto said.

"Come on Naruto; don't make me do any more work." Shikamaru whined.

"Just stop Shikamaru! We doing something interesting and you want to mess it up because your laziness! Don't you want to get one good grade, even if it's just this once?" Kiba argued.

"Kiba does have a point." Choji said, munching on his bag of chips. "I would like to take home a nice grade. When I do, my mom cooks up something really good." Akamaru barked, making it four against one. Shikamaru sighed and surrendered to the pressure.

"Okay then, what's our next move?" Shikamaru said with an annoyed grunt.

"Okay, we need to split up and get some information. Kiba and I are going to find us an ANBU that has worked with Ibiki before. I know where one hangs out. You two, are going to speak to Inoichi sensei because of how close your families are. He might be more forthcoming with you two than us. After you get what we need, meet up at the archives and we get the general information about him." Naruto said.

"That sounds like a solid plan." Kiba said.

"Alright, let's get this over with." Shikamaru said with a sigh. The group split up and made their way to their targets.

_**XXX**_

Finding Inoichi was not hard. He was either at home or with his buddies, who happened to be their fathers. This time, he was home. Choji and Shikamaru saw with his wife, Noriko. Upon seeing then, Inoichi disengaged from his wife to face them.

"Hello boys, why are you out of class?" he asked.

"We are doing some troublesome exercise with some troublesome people." Shikamaru said. Inoichi looked confused at turned toward Choji.

"We are doing a report about the shinobi of the village. We were given Ibiki Morino. We learned that he succeeded you for the leadership of the Torture and Interrogation Department. We were wondering what you can tell us about the guy that we did not learn in his personal file." Choji said.

"Well, I can't tell you much as it would be classified. What do you want to know about Ibiki?" Inoichi asked.

"I guess, just how feared is this guy? Is it just talk or is it all true?" Shikamaru asked. Inoichi chuckled and looked at the two.

"Ibiki's reputation is well earned. The mission he took to the border of the Water Country basically says it all." Inoichi stated.

"Why's that?"

_**XXX**_

"Seriously, who haven't you pranked? They didn't even give you a choice. They just tackled you and slammed your face into the ground." Kiba said with amusement. Naruto just gave him a glare before the ANBU had finished their search.

"Okay Naruto, what do you want?" the commander asked.

"I was wondering if you knew anyone who has ever worked with Ibiki Morino? We have to do a report on the man and we're just getting more information. We have a lot but we are very curious as to just how tough this guy is?" Naruto said. The ANBU commander nodded before he spoke.

_**XXX**_

It was now after lunch and Ibiki was not very impressed with the class. All of them probably made their way to either the library or the records department. They got his basic information and that was it. Anyone who did that immediately failed the exercise. There were a few that gave a little more but it was something that could have easy been falsified. He even failed the last Uchiha who looked like he wanted to challenge him. It was amusing. Now, it was the final team that had the person who started all this. He was curious as to what they got but he wasn't holding his breath.

"Okay brats, what do you have to say?" Ibiki asked. Naruto was the first one to step up.

"You are Ibiki Morino, head of the Torture and Interrogation department. You earned the position at a young age from Inoichi Yamanaka, your second sensei. You are known as one of the world top interrogators, able to get the information without causing physical pain. You prefer to attack the mind, gaining control of your captor's soul." Naruto said.

"You are also very tough when it comes to talking interrogation. On one mission, you were captured by the ninja of the Hidden Rain and tortured for days. It is how you have gained those scars and several other injuries that we can't see. Even after you were saved, you revealed nothing to the Rain ninja." Kiba added.

"Your reputation is well known even in the Water Country. Your rep is so feared that one of the future Seven Swordsmen of the Mist killed an entire team that he was supposed to protect just to avoid getting captured by you." Choji said.

"In all, you are probably one of the scariest people in the Leaf." Shikamaru finished. They stood and waited for Ibiki to give them their grade. He just stared at them for a while before he started to laugh. The class was shocked at the laughter of the man. He quickly calmed himself and looked at the instructors.

"Finally, I meet some ninja. These guys are the only one who will get full marks." Ibiki said. Everyone is shocked by what he had just said. Shouts began to ring out and accusations are being thrown around. Ibiki unleashes his killer intent and everyone was quickly silent. Ibiki glared at everyone in the room besides the final four.

"You children need to start acting like shinobi. This exercise was to test how well you did at information gathering. All you did was go to the archive and get basic information. These four went further and did some actual work. They learned things that you should have worked to get. It isn't just going to be handed to you on a silver platter. You're angry because they did the work and you all didn't? You bring shame to the term 'shinobi'. Just for that, everyone beside this group has failed this exercise. You don't like it, tough." Ibiki stated. With that said, Ibiki left the class. That's when everyone turned their attention to the group. They all gave the class nervous smiles.

_**XXXXX**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Chapter 4**_ – New Outlook

Ibiki made the long walk to the council room. He was ordered to arrive to speak about his actions two days ago. Apparently, several of the students at the academy complained to their parents about his use of killing intent and his harsh words. A few of those parents had friends who had friends. Now, he was making his way to explain himself to them, including the clan heads and the Hokage.

He arrived to the doors of the room and knocked.

"Ibiki Morino, reporting as requested." He said.

"Enter." Came the Hokage's voice. Ibiki entered the room and made his way into the center of the room. He stood in front of the council, clan heads and the Hokage. While the clan heads and the Hokage looked like they could be doing better things, the civilians looked at him with seriousness.

"You summoned me?" Ibiki asked.

"Yes, you were. We want an explanation as to your actions two days ago. Several parents have complained about what you did. How can you just throw around killing intent like that to a bunch of children?" asked one council man.

"They were acting like spoiled brats. They did not agree with my decision to give one team full mark for a job well done. I don't like being questioned by children who don't know any better." Ibiki replied.

"What are you talking about? Why were you teaching a class in the first place?" another asked.

"I was helping instructor Iruka Umino with completing a bet he made with one of his students. In fact, it was that same student who along with the team he was assigned to who got my approval." Ibiki said.

"Obviously they cheated." One of the council members muttered angrily. This got the attention of the people around the table. Hiruzen was curious and looked at Ibiki.

"Go into a bit more detail Ibiki." Hiruzen ordered.

"Iruka made a bet with one Naruto Uzumaki that if he passed a test then he would make the class a bit more interesting. He was having trouble coming up with an idea so I offered my assistance. All they had to do was get information about me. Depending on what kind of information they got, I graded them base on that. Ninety percent of the class went straight to the archive building to get basic information about me. That isn't truly information gathering. Naruto Uzumaki, Kiba Inuzuka, Choji Akimichi and Shikamaru Nara went the extra mile that everyone did not. When the class began to complain, I got annoyed and hit them with my intent." Ibiki explained. Inoichi looked at Ibiki with surprise as did an ANBU captain.

"Do you know something about this?" Hiruzen asked.

"Choji and Shikamaru came to me about Ibiki, telling me that it was a report that they were doing." Inoichi explained.

"It was the same with me. They told me that it was a report. I had no reason to believe that this was an exercise Ibiki. Sorry about telling them about that mission." the ANBU said.

"I'm not sorry. They came to you as academy students and used that against you. Those four showed that they are somewhat ready for ninja life. No offense Lord Hokage but the current curriculum is a joke." Ibiki said.

"They reason that the curriculum is the way it is, is because we are at peace." Stated one council member.

"That's a poor excuse. Just because we are at peace does not mean that we get complacent. The class that I tested was unprepared for the ninja world as we know it. Instead of your valued Uchiha being ready, it was the school's four slackers that did the best." Ibiki said.

"So you think that an overhaul of the curriculum is in order Ibiki?" Hiruzen asked.

"I believe that you add to it. Despite the 'children' making complaints about what I did, I do believe that the academy can benefit from exercises like that. It might help save these children survive when they finally get their symbols." Ibiki said with seriousness. There was a murmur around the room. Ibiki could see that the civilians would not be moved. He did however have the attention of the Hokage. Hiruzen looked interested in what he was saying.

"I would like to see just exactly how good this class is. I have an idea and I will be watching." Hiruzen said.

_**XXX**_

When Naruto entered the class, he was shocked to see an ANBU member inside the room. He was about to run off, thinking that they were after him but he was stopped by Iruka. The instructor explained that they were here to administer another exercise, just like Ibiki. Naruto was surprised but excited. He was once again teamed up with Kiba, Choji and Shikamaru. When everyone was settled down, the ANBU pulled out an outline of a castle.

"In front of you, there is this outline. This castle does exist and it is very well fortified. Your exercise today, is to show me how you would infiltrate this castle." The ANBU said. One student raised his hand.

"What do we know about the castle?" the boy asked.

"It is three stories tall of stone and wood. The open area is about the size of this class room. The halls are about two and a half feet wide and eleven feet tall. There is a rotating patrol of samurai going through the area in five minute intervals." The ANBU said.

"What type of opposition should we account for?" asked Shino.

"Mostly samurai, master class skill. The Lord of this castle does not trust shinobi." He answered.

"What can you tell us about the Lord?" asked Naruto.

"He is a man of great wealth and power. He converts all his money and will never share with anyone. He detests the poor and is quite cruel. He subjugates the people of his providence and does despicable things to them. Are there any more questions?" The ANBU asked. There were none. "Each team has forty-five minutes to find a way to infiltrate the castle. Your time begins now." Everyone looked at their outlines and began to discuss. In the back, the four read the outline.

"So what do you think? A simple sneak in mission under a Transformation?" Kiba asked.

"Nah, by how the ANBU description, this prick probably has only a hand full of people he allows into his home. My guess would be his co-conspirators. It would take time to infiltrate their homes and get down their routine. Then, we don't know if this guy even does the walk-in type of thing." Naruto said.

"Yeah, that was something I saw too. Scaling up the side of the wall is out too. If the patrols are that mobile, then we are not climbing anything without getting caught." Shikamaru said.

"Frontal assault is out too. With how wide the open area is, any frontal assault will be bogged down there. Master class samurai are no joke. My dad has always talked about how good they are. They would cut us down in seconds." Choji said. Kiba frowned and looked at the outline. What else could they do? That's when he saw something.

"What about the roof tops? Could we use the roof tops? I seriously doubt there is any type of security there." Kiba said and pointed at the section of the map. They all saw it and couldn't see a problem.

"Yeah, but how do we get to that area? Any type of rope and hook we get to that area could be heard and seen." Shikamaru said.

"Not if you come by the air. We have two ways. The first is creating a huge man-sized kite. We can glide in the air using the kites. Another way is a flying summons. We use one to get close enough to jump off and get to the roof. The guards will only give it a brief look because it is just a bird." Choji explained.

"That's not a bad plan. Also, the Transformation thing my actually work if we use the people of his providence. I mean, if this guy is such a slime ball, maybe he's kind of a pervert as well. The ANBU did say that he did despicable things. What if he forces himself on women?" Naruto asked.

"Transform or use a pretty kunoichi around the town, he sees her and wants her. They act disgusted with him, forcing him to come and drag her away. Once they are alone, they take him out." Shikamaru muttered. "That's also a good plan." Kiba then grinned at Naruto.

"Tough lucky there buddy, looks like you drew the short straw. Maybe next time you won't use that stupid jutsu of yours." Kiba joked. Naruto gave him the middle finger. They continued to come up with plans, unaware of the hidden men and women within the room.

_**XXX**_

"Well now, this is very sad. Only two teams passed this exercise?" Hiruzen asked. His colleagues, Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane were also in his office looking over the results as well. They were also very shocked by the scores.

"The two teams that passed were the team of Uzumaki, Inuzuka, Nara and Akimichi and the team of Aburame, Hyūga, Watanabe and Iga. They were the only once to pass the exercise. Every other team had a plan but could not execute it. Every part of their plan came undone quickly. Of the two teams, the 'slackers' as the class called them came up with a two prong-attack using an agent to infiltrate inside the castle while two enter from the roof. The fourth was in over-watch, keeping his eyes on the castle guards and their movements. It was the best plan of the day." The ANBU said.

"Not even the Uchiha gave a better plan?" Koharu asked.

"He believed himself to be indestructible and decided to infiltrate alone with his team being the lookouts. He also believed that his Sharingan would overcome any Master class samurai. When we pointed out that his plan was a failure, he gave me the stink eye." The ANBU said.

"Perhaps Ibiki has a point. The truth is right in front of us. Despite their grades, when it comes to planning or any other activity that allows them to be hands on, they are the best." Homura said.

"We are too far into the term for that to happen. After this term, we will speak with the instructors about the change. I think that it will be a great change of pace." Hiruzen said with a smile.

_**XXX**_

Naruto was making his way home after hanging out with Kiba. The two were having a race up to a tree. Kiba had once again won but Naruto swore that one day that record would be his. After paying off his debt, a bag of candy, Naruto was on his way home. That's when he heard a commotion coming from the alley. He investigated and saw that Choji was being bullied by someone Naruto did not like. His name was Hibachi. He was with two of his friends and they were pushing and shoving Choji.

"You think that you and those losers are so smart huh? Why don't you show us just how smart you are?" Hibachi sneered. Choji looked around for a way out but could not find one.

"Hey Hibachi!" everyone turned to see Naruto coming toward them. He had a serious face on. "Why don't you back off Choji? Just because he got another high grade doesn't mean that you can bully him." He said.

"Well, if it isn't the dead last. You come to help your fellow loser?" Hibachi asked mockingly.

"The only loser I see is you and your boys. Are you really so pathetic that you would pick on someone because they did better? Now beat it or do I have to make you pee your pants again?" Naruto said with a smirk. Hibachi growled and made a move. He threw a punch but Naruto easily slipped in and landed a punch to his gut. Hibachi felt the wind leave him as he dropped to the ground. Naruto moved around and got in front of Choji. "You good Choji?"

"Y-Yeah. Thanks Naruto." Choji said. Naruto looked at the others and readied himself.

"You guys want some too?" Naruto threatened. The other two boys decided to retreat. They picked up hibachi and dragged him away. Naruto scoffed at the two and relaxed when they were out of sight. He looked at Choji for a second before speaking again. "You want some company home?"

_**XXX**_

The two arrived at Choji's home. As they walked they talked about what happened back there. Naruto asked why Choji did not defend himself and Choji replied that he was just scared. Naruto does not get on him and tells him that it's okay. As they near his house, the two were greeted by Choji's parents, Chōza and Chiharu. Both looked at their son and Naruto. Naruto noticed the looks and decided that it was time to leave. However, before he could leave, Chiharu noticed something about her son.

"Choji why are you clothes ruffled?" she asked.

"Oh, I didn't notice. These three guys were bullying me because I got another high grade. Naruto came and helped me out. He then walked home with me." Choji explained.

"Oh Choji, are you okay?" she asked with worry.

"Yeah, thanks to Naruto. He didn't have to but he stood up for me." Choji said. The two adults looked at Naruto with a critical eye. Naruto was starting to feel a little nervous about the look. Chōza was one of the few clan heads who did not particularly like Naruto. While it was not fair, he was not as confident in the Yondaime's seal as others. However, the way the Inuzuka allowed Naruto into their lives, he reconsidered his position about the blond.

Chōza gave Naruto a soft smile.

"Well then, how about we thank you by inviting you for dinner?" he asked.

"Oh, that's okay. You don't have to force yourself." Naruto said.

"It's no problem at all." Chōza said.

"Yes, let us thank you for defending our son." Chiharu said.

"Yeah Naruto, mom is the best cook ever!" Choji exclaimed. Naruto just scratched the back of his head. He did not want to rude to Chōji or his family. He nodded and joined the Akimichi for dinner. After the dinner, Naruto will have a new friend.

_**XXXXX**_

_**Authors' Notes**_ – This was a reason that I decided to do a rewrite. I wanted to show just how the four boys became friends. The next chapter will include Shikamaru into the group. Well, I hope you like it.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Chapter 5**_ – The Losers

Shikamaru was kind of worried about his friend Choji. They would usually meet during lunch to hang out. He was a bit late and was wondering why. Choji was never late for lunch. He wondered where his best friend was. He got his answer in the form of a white puppy. Shikamaru recognized the dog as Akamaru, Kiba's dog. He sat up and looked at the little guy.

"What are you doing here Akamaru?" he asked. The puppy barked but Shikamaru could not understand him. "Why am I talking with a dog?" he said with a sigh. Shikamaru laid back down and watched the clouds. He ignored everything around him, including the white furred puppy that sat right next to him. It did not bother him as he was very quiet and seem to be enjoying the clouds. After a while, Shikamaru sat up and looked at the puppy.

"You know, I'm worried about Choji. You think you can help me find him?" Shikamaru asked. The puppy barked and began to walk. Shikamaru stood up with a grunt and followed him. Akamaru would lead the lazy boy out of the academy. They walked quite a distance and appeared in front of Ichirakus' Ramen. Shikamaru looked at the stand and was a little surprised to see what was going on. Choji and Naruto were eating ramen and it looked like that it was a contest because Kiba was cheering both sides. He looked at the scene with a neutral expression before leaving.

_**XXX**_

The next day found Choji running over to Shikamaru's home. He had forgotten about lunch yesterday and figured that he might have been upset. Kiba's dog had told him that Shikamaru had seen the eating contest and he did not look too happy. He entered the home of the Nara. He saw some deer and gave them a wave. He knocked on the door and waited. Shikamaru was the one who answered the door and was surprised to see him.

"Hey Choji, what's up?" Shikamaru asked. Choji took a few breaths before dropping to his knees.

"Shika… sorry… about… yesterday…" Choji gasped out. Shikamaru looked at Choji and brought him into the house. He sat him down and got him some water. Once he drank it, Choji took a breath and faced his best friend. "I wanted to say that I'm sorry about yesterday. I didn't mean to ditch you but Naruto told me about the contest that Ichirakus' was having and the prize. I wanted that month of free ramen but I lost to Naruto."

"Come Choji, did you really expect to win? Naruto is mostly ramen." Shikamaru joked.

"Still, you're my best friend and I should have let you know." Choji said.

"It's cool Choji. I was curious as to why you would hang out with Naruto and Kiba?" Shikamaru asked.

"Oh, Naruto helped me out of a jam a day ago. He even had dinner with my family. I think he hit it off with them. Naruto is not that bad of a guy. Kiba isn't too bad either. I mean, we do skip out a lot with them." Choji said.

"Nah, Naruto and Kiba are too loud and too active. Hanging with them is too troublesome." Shikamaru said.

"Well, I think that they are alright. Maybe one day you can see that too." Choji said. "So, you want to go and play with the deer?" Shikamaru shrugged and the two made their way out to the backyard. Unknown to them, Shikamaru's mother, Yoshino Nara, overheard the conversation between the two friends. She suddenly got a smile on her face. Maybe having some active friends might be good for her lazy son. She would need some Intel.

_**XXX**_

"Naruto? You want to know about Naruto? I don't know what I can tell you about him. I only meet him that one time." Chiharu said. Yoshino and herself were having brunch with their friends, Ino's mother, Noriko Yamanaka, and Sakura's mother, Mebuki Haruno. When Yoshino mentioned the boy, she was very surprised. "From my one meeting, I do think that he is quite funny. I do think he needs to focus more on his class work and less on ramen. Why do you ask? What are you planning?"

"What makes you think that I'm planning something?" Yoshino asked. The three women looked at her with their looks. "Okay, I thought that if I can get Shikamaru to be friends with Naruto and Kiba, then maybe it might make him a little more active."

"Do you really think that would work? From what Sakura tells me, they are always cutting class together." Mebuki said.

"Really? But Choji had some nice things to say about him that day." Yoshino said with a little disappointment.

"I do believe that Naruto is a nice boy. I do believe that Tsume's influence has helped some. He's still a little wild but it has toned down some." Noriko said.

"Maybe we should consult Tsume about this?" said Chiharu.

"Consult me on what?" Everyone turned to see the feral woman standing by them. Unlike the rest of them, Tsume was not what you would call a housewife. She trained her ass off to reach her position and was damn proud of it. She didn't do the wife things that they did but they still respected the hell out of her.

"Tsume, what are you doing here?" Yoshino asked.

"I was in the neighborhood and I heard my name being called. You need help with something?" Tsume asked.

"Actually, I was wondering if you can tell me about Naruto. I've never met the boy but Chicharu's son speaks quite highly of him." Yoshino said.

"Oh yeah, he did mention that he ate at your home. I was kind of surprised at that. I know what Chōza thinks of the boy. He told me that he saw the looks he gave him and was going to refuse your invitation if it wasn't for young Choji. When he came back fine, I didn't pursue anything. What do you want to know about him?" Tsume asked.

"I was wondering just who he is? I'm also considering making him a friend of my son." Yoshino said. Tsume rubbed the back of her head.

"I don't know. While I can see Naruto getting along with Choji, Shikamaru is a different story. They really are very different. Even with Naruto's hyper activeness, I doubt that they would be more than acquaintances. He respects him though, calls him one smart son of a bitch." Tsume said. Yoshino frowned at that and saw her plan go up in smoke. That's when Tsume remembered something. "Hey, your boy likes the game shogi right?"

"Oh Kami, yes. It's his damn father's fault!" Yoshino growled. Tsume gave her a smile.

"Well then, we might have a way after all."

_**XXX**_

Shikamaru knew that something was up. His mother was up to something and he did not like it. It started when she was in a happy mood. She did not berate him and she did not nag him. She just kept smiling and cooking. He did not know what was going to happen but it could only spell doom. That's when his father heard the door and went to get it. A few moments later, Kiba, Naruto, Hana and Tsume entered the living room. Yoshino was happy to see them.

"Tsume, I so glad you could make it." Yoshino cheered.

"Yeah, it's been so long since the academy. I hope you don't mind, I brought Naruto along because he had nothing to do." Tsume said. Naruto looked at her with a bit of fear. He did have something to do but Tsume gave him a harsh ultimatum that he could not refuse.

"Well, lunch is almost ready. Shikamaru, why don't you take Naruto and Kiba out to the back? In fact, why don't you show them how to play that shogi game you have out?" Yoshino said. Shikamaru just sighed and made his way to the back with the two boys. As they walked, Shikamaru looked at them.

"What is going on?" he asked.

"You got us. Naruto and I were going to hang out near the forest when mom forced us into these nice clothes and told us that we were coming to lunch at your house." Kiba explained. They reached the back area and they saw the board.

"Oh hey, I know this game. It's pretty boring." Naruto said.

"You know how to play?" Shikamaru asked.

"Only how the pieces move." Naruto answered. Shikamaru sighed and sat on the other side of the board. He invited Naruto to join him. Naruto sat down across from him and looked at the board.

"You want to play for while? My mom is a pretty slow cook and we can play until Choji comes. I'll show you where we keep the deer." Shikamaru said. Naruto shrugged and the two started their game. In the first ten minutes of play, Naruto had already lost three times. Kiba was not making anything easy as he laughed at the blond. Naruto kept demanding another game, only frustrating Shikamaru. However, after his fifth lost, Shikamaru began to have a harder time dominating Naruto. While he did not really like Naruto's style of shogi, he was getting caught in a lot of feints and traps left by Naruto. His quick movements and various plans were starting to get on his nerves. It also did not help that Naruto kept rushing him.

When Choji came around, he was surprised that they were on their seventh game and Shikamaru was having a very hard time. How in the hell did Naruto outflank his king? If he moved any of his important pieces to stop the flank, Naruto silver general could cause some damage. Any move that had to be made would have to be carefully thought out. Shikamaru stared hard at the board.

"Ha, what now smart guy? No matter what you do, I'm taking that king." Naruto cheered. Shikamaru gave him a look and focused on the board. He gave it a very careful look and made a move. As soon as he did, Naruto made his move. Shikamaru made another move and Naruto did as well. On Shikamaru's third move, he took the game. Naruto was shocked. "No way! There's no way that you could have escaped!"

"Actually, it was his only move." A voice said. They all turned to see, Shikamaru's father, Shikaku. He had a smirk on his face as he looked at his son. "That was some very poor playing Shikamaru. You allowed yourself to fall for some traps and he tricked you like five times. If you didn't figure it out, Naruto would have won in eight more moves."

"He isn't playing real shogi. Shogi isn't so fast paced." Shikamaru complained.

"Says you but Naruto has been getting better with each lost while you played the same way. Sure, it might not be your style of shogi but he would have defeated you if given time. In truth, he played quite well for a novice. Anyway, lunch is ready." He said. The four boys stood up and made their way to the table to eat. Shikamaru paused and looked back at the board. He stared at it for a while before going to eat.

_**XXX**_

Yoshino was cleaning up while Shikaku sat at the table. He turned to his wife and gave her a smirk.

"I believe that your plan worked." Shikaku said.

"Plan? What plan?" Yoshino asked.

"Don't play coy Yoshino, it isn't you. You could have just asked Shikamaru to hang out with Naruto and Kiba if you pressured him some. You know that he would do anything to avoid being nagged by you." Shikaku said.

"I take offense to everything you just said." Yoshino said angrily. She then gave Shikaku a look. "Well, how do you know that it worked?"

"I think that I will keep that a secret for now. Think of it as payback for your plan." Shikaku said. Yoshino steamed but did nothing to her husband. She would think about a suitable punishment later for him. Still, if her husband said that he plan worked, what did she care? She was happy and hoped that Naruto could bring a bit of activity in her son's life.

_**XXX**_

During lunch, Naruto and Kiba were hanging out with Akamaru. That's when Shikamaru and Choji came into view. Naruto noticed that Shikamaru had with him a shogi board. Curious, Naruto looked at Shikamaru.

"What's up guys?" Naruto asked. Shikamaru placed the board down and faced him.

"Let's play again. If you can beat me, I'll buy the first bowl of ramen for you." Shikamaru said.

"Seriously?!" Naruto asked excitedly. Naruto faced the board and cracked his knuckles. The two began to play the game of shogi. Everyone who passed by the four could only watch as Naruto acted frustrated with each lost. Everyone had a comment about the four but only one word was said among them.

"_What is that 'loser' doing?"_

"_When did those 'losers' start hanging out together?"_

"_Look at those 'losers'."_

The four ignored them and continued to hang out. It was the start of a life time friendship that would never end. A bond that would never break for as long as they lived.

_**XXXXX**_

_**Authors' Notes**_ – Well, that's it. I'm glad about how this chapter went. I like the change and I'm glad that I did the re-write like this. Now, I can focus on getting the story going now that this is out of the way. As I keep going, I'm going to do a lot of things differently. So look out for the new chapters. Anyway, enjoy the new chapter.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Chapter 6**_ – Revelations

It would be a couple of months since the lunch at the Nara's. Naruto, Choji, Kiba and Shikamaru remained very good friends. They would hang out and do things together. It would range from playing ninja to watching clouds. It has been a very good thing for every one of the boys. For Naruto, he had people who acknowledged him. He no longer had to crave for it because he had his buddies. It cut down his pranks and the village was actually thankful for it. For Kiba, Naruto is like the brother he never had. They were always challenging each other, each wanting to be the top dog. They were the best of friends.

For Choji, the plump academy student had friends who had his back. They helped him to toughen up a little and not to be pushed around much. He was always picked when they had an activity and he was never picked on by the four. Choji was a much happier person. For Shikamaru, he was a little more active like her mother wanted. He had to just to keep up with Naruto and Kiba. However, they would do stuff that he wanted to do and never really complained. They watched clouds and sometimes, they would talk about stuff. He found the two less troublesome than before.

They ignored the people in the class who called them 'losers'. It was something that everyone did because they were still in the lower ranks. Despite their success in the two exercises, they still cut class, disrespect authority and did not pay attention. Everyone did not take the group of four serious and thought that they would never amount to anything. They ignored them and just continued to hang out. If they wanted to call them 'losers', then let them.

_**XXX**_

The new term begins and everyone was sitting and waiting for Iruka and Mizuki. It did not take long for the two to enter and they faced the class. After getting their attention, Iruka gave them all a serious look.

"Okay class, I would like to welcome you to the new and improve term of your ninja training." Iruka began.

"What do you mean sensei?" asked a student.

"Due to the exercises that you all took last term, the Hokage and several others has changed the curriculum of the class. You will be the first class to go through this change and if it is successful, it will be implemented for future students." Iruka answered.

"What will these changes be Iruka-sensei?" asked Naruto.

"Well, for our lectures, we will have more participation than before. You all will give your opinions and have debates. The only thing is that if it gets too mean, we will put a stop to the discussion immediately. Another thing that we will do, are those exercises. Every month you will be assigned into teams and give a real-life situation that your whole team will receive a grade on it. Another addition will be the guest speakers. At some time, a former or current shinobi will enter the class where you will a Q & A with them." Iruka explained. The class liked what they were hearing, even Naruto looked excited. Iruka saw this and smiled. With no more questions, Iruka started the class off with the new set of terms.

_**XXX**_

The four friends were looking down into town from the hill that they were resting on. During lunch, they were able to sneak away and cut class. Despite the new stuff that they were doing, they did need a break. Lucky for them, they had become masters at breaking out of the academy and not being found. They met up after they all split up to escape. They were currently watching the clouds like they always did.

"You know maybe we shouldn't have cut today. Wasn't there someone cool coming in to talk?" Naruto asked.

"Nope, it was my dad. All he really does is goes to meetings with the council since he's a jōnin commander. Besides, it would be like me talking to the class." Shikamaru said. The guys agreed and continued to watch the clouds. That's when Kiba spoke up.

"Hey Naruto, in a about a week, you won't be able to keep up with me anymore." Kiba said with a smirk.

"What are you talking about?" Naruto asked with narrowed eyes.

"Guess who's learning the Ninja Art of Beast Mimicry: All-Fours Jutsu in a few days?" Kiba asked with a smirk. Naruto sat up and looked at Kiba with wide eyes.

"No way! That's not fair!" Naruto shouted. Kiba just grinned and so did Akamaru. Choji looked at the two and chuckled.

"So, you're learning stuff too huh? Dad is starting to teach me how to do the Human Boulder. What about you Shikamaru? Are you learning the Shadow Possession Jutsu?" he asked.

"Not like I have a choice. My dad is so whipped he would do anything to not get yelled at. Luck for me, he always out with his drinking buddies to teach me." Shikamaru said.

"Aw man, you guys are so lucky!" Naruto exclaimed before lying on the grass. He looks up into the sky. "I wish that I had some cool family ability."

"I've always wondered about that Naruto." Shikamaru spoke. The blond looked at him with confusion. "I know that you're an orphan but usually there is a record of your family somewhere. You mean to tell me that you have no information of you your parents can be?"

"Well, I have looked but I'm not really welcomed at the archives. I've talked to the old man but he doesn't give me a straight answer. I think he knows but I'm not sure. I mean, he always tells me that they loved me very much but I would like him to tell me a name at least." Naruto said with a somber tone. Shikamaru looked at Naruto with confusion.

"What about your surname?" Kiba asked.

"I checked that too but it is almost like there is no record of another Uzumaki besides me. It is almost like it was removed." Naruto said. Shikamaru looked even more confused about this. That was just weird. Who would erase another member who could be Naruto's family? This deserved a bit of investigation.

_**XXX**_

"So what's up Shikamaru? Where's Naruto?" Kiba asked. The Inuzuka was invited to the BBQ restaurant to talk to the two.

"I didn't invite Naruto because it concerns him." Shikamaru said. The two boys looked at him with curiousness. "Naruto's birthday is coming up in two weeks. I think that we should get him some information that he has been dying for."

"You mean that stuff he was talking about yesterday?" Kiba asked.

"Don't you find it odd that all information has just been removed? I know that the Hokage and Naruto are close so why wouldn't he tell Naruto? I think we should give him that closure because it would be nice." Shikamaru said.

"Okay, I get that but how are we going to do it? Like you said, it is like the information has been removed from the archives. How are we going to find anything about Naruto's family?" Choji asked.

"While there is no information about Naruto's parents with the name Uzumaki, there has to be something about the name." Shikamaru said.

"We're going to do some reading, aren't we?" Kiba said with a groan.

_**XXX**_

The three were searching the library for anything that had the name Uzumaki on it. It took them a while but they found an old history, detailing the lands of old. They put the book down and opened it. They made their way through the book and found something about Land of Whirlpools. Shikamaru began to read.

"The Village Hidden by Whirling Tides or the Hidden Eddy Village was a shinobi village of the Land of Whirlpools. It is the home of the Uzumaki clan." Shikamaru paused and looked at the three who looked at him. Shikamaru continued reading. "The village is also called the Village of Longevity due to the people of the Hidden Village living notoriously long lives. The Hidden Eddy Village has close ties to the Hidden Leaf Village due to the Uzumaki and the Senju being distant blood relatives. The ninja of this land we very well versed in the act of sealing techniques. They were feared and respected worldwide. It would be this reason that the Village of Longevity was destroyed. There are records of survivors but they have scattered throughout the world." He finished reading and they leaned back.

"Holy shit. That was just," Kiba began but did not finish. Choji looked at Shikamaru.

"Do you think that this will be enough?" he asked.

"Let's find out some more stuff. We gather it all up and we make a book. We will give it to Naruto on his birthday." Shikamaru stated. The other two nodded and they went to get help.

_**XXX**_

It would be two weeks later when Naruto was told to get dressed and come to the Inuzuka home. He didn't know why but who was he to say no to Tsume. Lucky for him, he had guards watching on this day. People tended to get a little antsy on his birthday. So, he made his way to the Inuzuka home and entered. It was a dark and he could not hear anything. He careful entered the house and searched. That's when the lights went on.

"Surprise!" Naruto jumped two feet in the air and looked for an exit. When he heard laughter, he looked to see that everyone her knew was here. Kiba, Shikamaru, Choji, Tsume, Hana, Chōza, Chiharu, Ayame, Tenchi, Yoshino and Shikaku gave him all smiles. "Happy Birthday!" Naruto looked at the group in wonder. His eyes began to tear up but he quickly wiped them away. He gave everyone a very big smile.

_**XXX**_

Naruto was enjoying his birthday a lot. There was food and friends. It would be the first birthday that Naruto ever had. It would also be his happiest birthday ever. There would be nothing that could ruin this day for him. It was time for the presents and Naruto couldn't wait. From Ayame and Tenchi, he got free coupons for Ichirakus' ramen. Chōza and Chiharu gave Naruto a cookbook that he could use at home. Tsume gave him some cool looking ninja clothes. Hana got him a set of ninja tools. Shikaku got him a book of puzzles. Yoshino got him a potted plant. That's when his three friends stepped up.

"We got something that we think you will like." Shikamaru said and handed him a book. Naruto saw the book and was curious about it. "Open it." Naruto shrugged and opened the book. He read the first paragraph and was stunned.

"Uzumaki clan?" Naruto whispered. The adults were stunned and gave each other looks. Naruto looked at his friends. "Where… Where did you guys find this stuff?"

"We found an old history book about all the old lands. There was a section on your clan's home. Your clan was great man. Do you know that you're like distant relatives of the Senju clan?" Kiba said with some excitement.

"We even know that your clan was well-known worldwide. It was the reason that they were destroyed. Oh, I'm sorry about that. Still, they did not go down easy. Even with the combined forces of Hidden Mist and the Hidden Cloud, they left with nearly sixty percent of their forces taken out." Choji added.

"There specialty was an art called sealing jutsu. They were masters of it. So, now you have something that you can do just like us." Shikamaru said. Naruto was still silent and the three were a little worried. "Naruto, is everything okay?" Naruto did not answer him. They all saw drops of tears dropping from his eyes. Kiba reached out to comfort him but he quickly left the room and out the property. The guys were shocked by the reaction. They thought that they did a nice thing for him. That's when Shikaku came up on them.

"Do not feel bad boys. You did something really wonderful for him. He's really grateful to you three." Shikaku said.

"So, what just happened? If I didn't know any better, I would say that he was angry as well as sad." Kiba said.

"He is angry and sad Kiba. The reason is because the one person that he trusted above all else has been lying to him. Your present confirms it. You guys enjoy the food. Shikaku and I are going to make sure that Naruto is alright." Tsume said. The two left, leaving three very confused boys.

_**XXX**_

Hiruzen was enjoying a smoke. He had finished his paperwork and he had some time before he would make his way to the Inuzuka home. He knew that Naruto would be having a surprise party and he was happy for the boy. He had finally gotten some recognition from some good people. They did not use him and they genuinely cared for the boy's well-being. It would be a happy surprise for the young blond.

Suddenly his door was thrown open. Hiruzen looked at the entrance way and saw that it was Naruto who did it. The boy was in tears and he looked at him with anger he had never seen before. Naruto continued to look at him with anger and took slow steps toward his desk. When he was in front of it, he slammed the book that his friends made for him right in front of him. Hiruzen looked at the book and saw information about the Hidden Eddy Village. Hiruzen looked at the blond with a sad expression. He could see the hurt and betrayal in his eyes.

He would normally attempt to talk, to explain, but he saw that this would not end well.

_**XXXXX**_

_**Authors' Notes**_: This is a little different than I had before. While, I do think that Naruto is super tricky, I did not really enjoy the two chapters I had him do to learn about his clan. It just seemed easy to me when I re-read it. This way just seemed more believable than what I had before. His friends' wanting to do something for his birthday was a really good idea. Anyway, enjoy the new chapter.


	7. Chapter 7

_**Chapter 7**_ – Truths

The two stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity. The ANBU in the room could feel the anger roll off Naruto. Hiruzen looked back at the book before looking back at Naruto.

"ANBU, leave us and seal the room." Hiruzen ordered. They vanished and sealed the room. The two were now alone. Hiruzen looked at Naruto with a heavy heart. He steeled himself for what was about to happen here. "Naruto, I don't know what I can say that will make you understand my reasons for lying to you."

"What reasons? Look at the book old man, I had a clan. Why couldn't you have told me that?" Naruto shouted.

"You would have shouted it to the roof tops Naruto. I could not let you do that, especially with your clan's history. Members of your clan are well sort out Naruto, for good and bad." Hiruzen explained.

"That doesn't mean that you had to lie to me! What else haven't you told me? Do you know my parents? Do you?!" Naruto demanded loudly.

"I do but I will not tell you their names." Hiruzen answered.

"Why not?!" Naruto roared.

"It is for your protection Naruto. Everything I do is to protect you. If the names of your parents ever got out, their enemies, both foreign and domestic, will do everything in their power to hurt you. I will not allow that to happen. I'm sorry if that angers you but I will not reveal the identity of your parents." Hiruzen said firmly. Naruto balled his fists up. He was mad, really mad. He couldn't believe the nerve of the Hokage to do this to him. He had been searching and searching for any information about a family. The one person who he thought the world of had all the answers and refused to give it to him. It was the ultimate betrayal. Hiruzen moved to place a hand on Naruto but the blond slapped it away.

"I will never trust you again! I HATE YOU!" Naruto screamed and ran out of the office. Hiruzen let out a long sigh and sat back down in his chair. Those words hurt a lot. He knew that Naruto might be mad but he did not believe that he would be this mad. He had miscalculated and he was now paying the price. He would sit in his office for a few minutes when his ANBU told him that both Shikaku and Tsume were here. He allowed them to enter. The two shinobi entered and saw that their leader's expression. They saw Naruto's book before facing their leader.

"We are sorry Hokage-sama. Our sons thought that creating a book for Naruto about his family would have been a good birthday present. The mistake is ours." Tsume said.

"It is not your fault or the fault of your children. They were doing something nice for their friend and I appreciate it. I always knew that if Naruto ever found out that he would not be happy that things were kept from him. He is still a child. Still, his words cut deep and I must figure this out on my own." Hiruzen said. The two bowed and left the Hokage alone. Hiruzen looked at the book that his friends made and had it delivered to Naruto apartment. He sighed and felt guilty for ruining the young man's birthday.

_**XXX**_

Naruto was sitting on the head of the Fourth Hokage. He always came here when he was sad or needed to think. Right now, he was sad, hurt and angry. How could the Hokage do this? How could he lie right in his face and then try to reason it as protecting him? If he was really protective of him, he would have done a better job of it for the past eleven years. He was just making excuses and he didn't want to hear them. He knew how he could be but it would have done so much for him if he knew. Maybe he would have changed and become less active.

He forgot about his anger for a second and thought about his present from his friends. He didn't have it on him and if he knew the old man, he would have sent it to his apartment. He recalled what Kiba, Choji and Shikamaru told him. His clan was feared and respected. They even had their own village. That was pretty sweet. They did have one specialty, which was sealing jutsu. He didn't know what that was but he could always find out. He would have to read that book that was waiting for him.

Naruto just sat down and looked into the village. He was just wanted to be alone right now.

_**XXX**_

It would be a week later since the confrontation with the Hokage. Naruto was currently thinking about something that he could do to help his situation. A day after his birthday, his friends came to check on him. Naruto explained what had happened and everything was cool. They sat down and talked about his clan and their specialty, which was sealing jutsu. Naruto read the book that his friends made, which he thanked them for by the way, and decided to get some manuals about the art. That would prove to be hard as no store would sell one to him. He returned home only to find two manuals on his table. One was explanation of the art called 'Beginner's Guide to Sealing' and the other was called 'Beginner's Sealing Formulas'. Naruto was curious about where these books came from but he had an idea.

Naruto dove right into the first book. Surprisingly, Naruto found it very interesting. Yeah, it was pretty complicated but he kind of got the explanation. He continued to read and learn a bit more before he moved on to the other book. It did not look like that he would be able to do that due to his poor penmanship. All the characters that he saw in the book, he attempted to copy however, they came out wrong and crooked. They would probably never work in the field. How was he going to solve his problem? A problem that he was having six days and counting.

When he entered his apartment, he was surprised that the Hokage was there. Naruto quickly adopted his cold demeanor that he had developed just for him. Hiruzen was not insulted and understood why. Despite that, he helped young Naruto out. He got him the two books and dealt with the store owner who refused to help him. He also looked over Naruto's work and was a little impressed that he was doing this well for a beginner. He saw Naruto's problem and knew that he would not really get far without it.

"I see that you have been busy Naruto. Still, I don't think you can proceed without correcting this little problem of yours." Hiruzen said.

"Yeah, I figure that much. I guess you can help with that like you helped me with the books?" Naruto said with a tone. Hiruzen was saddened by the tone but he didn't let it bother him.

"I know someone who might be able to help you. Her name is Miyuki Samara. She teaches calligraphy to those who want to learn. If you are interested in improving your skills, I would go to see her." Hiruzen said. He left a piece of paper on his table and stood up to leave. Naruto opened the door to let him out. When Hiruzen was standing by him, he gave the blond a look. "I know that you do not trust me Naruto but I did what I did because I was trying to protect you. I hope that one day that you will see that." With that, Hiruzen left the apartment. Naruto closed the door and made his way to the table. He picked up the paper and saw the address. He thought about it for a while before deciding to go. Just because he was mad, didn't mean that he wasn't going to accept any help.

_**XXX**_

Naruto arrived at the address and looked inside. What he saw was a woman that was the Hokage's age. She had long white hair and amber eyes. She was dressed in a blue and green kimono that was tied with a blue sash. She was standing over a box of sand and was writing in it. Naruto was confused by this and just continued to watch.

"This is not a viewing boy. Either come in or leave." The woman said. Naruto was stunned but he steeled himself and entered the shop. She finished her writing and turned to face him.

"Are you Miyuki Samara?" Naruto asked.

"Who wants to know?" she asked.

"Uh, the old man Hokage gave me your name to help me with my sealing." He said. The woman looked at him before remembering.

"Oh, so you're Naruto? Yeah, Hiruzen told me about you. Apparently your penmanship sucks and you will need it if you're even thinking about doing sealing jutsu. Yes, my name is Miyuki and starting today, you belong to me." She said. Naruto could only wonder what the hell he got himself into.

_**XXX**_

"Wait a minute; you're ditching us for that teacher? You've only known her for two days! How does she have this type of hold on you?" exclaimed Kiba. He was with the others as they were planning to cut class today. However, Naruto could not as he promised Miyuki that he would stay in class for a week.

"Hey, don't you shout at me! I have to do this or else and can't go any further in my learning sealing. I made a promise and I don't break those. Besides, two days with her and my penmanship has improved by a little." Naruto said.

"What are you shouting about loser?" a voice said. They all turned to see Sasuke. He was looking up at them. Naruto narrowed his eyes at Sasuke.

"None of your business bastard. If you don't mind, I am talking with my friends." Naruto said.

"Right, you losers have to stick together." Sasuke said with a chuckle. Some of the class snorted in laughter. Shikamaru could see that it bothered Naruto and Kiba but decided to stay out of it.

"We might be 'losers' but for someone slated to be 'Rookie of the Year', we've beaten you in every exercise that we've had so far." Kiba stated.

"We've only had one of those exercises stupid." Sasuke said.

"Yeah and your team was caught in like what, thirty seconds? Yeah, you're a really shining example of a great ninja." Kiba mocked. Sasuke glared at the young Inuzuka. He, like everyone else, did not like the fact that the lowest members of the class did better in these stupid exercises. Even when the group was split up, they still got the highest mark even if their group failed. It was an insult to him and Kiba had just reminded him of that failure.

"I don't really care for those exercises. The fact is, you and your friends are still losers and will always be losers." Sasuke said with a tone.

"Whatever Uchiha, just go back to your brooding and leave us alone." Kiba said. The group went back to their talk. Sasuke clenched his fist at being dismissed like that. He was going to show them just how low on the pole they were.

_**XXX**_

It was time to spar today and everyone was stretching and getting ready. Mizuki looked at the class and held his clipboard.

"Alright, our first spar with be Sasuke Uchiha against Kiba Inuzuka." He said. The two stepped into the circle and faced each other. Sasuke just smirked at Kiba as he was going to make the boy pay for earlier. Shikamaru saw the smile and was worried. He figured that Sasuke would still be sore about Kiba's words earlier and he was going to humiliate him. The match started and Kiba charged in like he always did. He threw punches and kicks at Sasuke but the last Uchiha dodged each attack with ease. Sasuke then tripped him, making him fall flat on his face.

Kiba growled and charged again. Sasuke just kept tripping him, making him look foolish. This only served to make Kiba angrier. Sasuke finally hand enough of Kiba and caught his arm. He tossed Kiba out of the ring for his victory. Kiba got to his knees and was breathing hard. Sasuke just looked at him.

"Is that all an Inuzuka can do?" Sasuke mocked. Kiba was enraged and looked ready to charge but he was held back by Naruto and Choji. Shikamaru got in his face.

"Calm down Kiba. This is exactly what he wants you to do." Shikamaru said. Kiba was still breathing hard but he did relax. Mizuki told Kiba to do the hand shake but Kiba would not do so. He walked away to cool off. Shikamaru went with him to make sure that he did nothing stupid. Sasuke just returned to his spot, ignoring the cheers that he got. He taught Kiba a lesson about dealing with his betters. He felt good about it. Naruto saw the smirk and did not like it. If he thought that he was going to get away with what he did, he had another thing coming.

_**XXXXX**_


	8. Chapter 8

_**Chapter 8**_ – Pride

Tsume watched the door to her son's room with worry and concern. It had been three days since Kiba came back from the academy in a foul mood. His mood only got worst with each day. She learned of what the last Uchiha did to her son and she could understand why he was acting this way. As an Inuzuka, they were a very prideful in everything. They rarely enjoyed losing or taking being embarrassed easily. According to Naruto, Sasuke would not let up on her son and kept on teasing him. She knew that Kiba could do nothing or risk suspension.

Usually, Kiba would just train himself into the ground but he wasn't even doing that. It was time to deal with this and she only knew one way how. She kicked the door to his room open. Kiba jumped and dropped his puppy of the ground. Tsume and her partner, Kuromaru, were looking at the two with a hard glance. She then tossed him two wrist band, two ankle bands and a vest. Kuromaru places a small vest next to Akamaru.

"Put those on now! We have training to do!" she ordered.

_**XXX**_

As the sun set over the Leaf Village, Kiba and Akamaru were sweating a river. They were laid out at the entrance of their house. They were begging for water and they looked like that they were inches away from death. When the two exited, they could barely move due to the weights that they were currently wearing. Tsume then told them to keep up with her and Kuromaru as they began to jog. Kiba followed and tried to keep up. He attempted to use the Four Legs Technique but was told to stop. The mother, son and canines jogged from their home all-around the village and back.

Kiba thought that it was over until Tsume ordered him to do wind sprints. He and Akamaru did them as they were commanded. She then had them doing line drills. She continued to push him, having him do more drills. By the time the sun set, Kiba and Akamaru were dead tired.

Kiba laid there dying when he was splashed with cold water. Kiba sputtered and Akamaru started to shake himself dry. They looked at Tsume as she handed each of them water. As they drank with eagerness, Tsume sat down and waited for them to catch their breath. Once they did, Tsume got their attention.

"Okay Kiba, I know that you are taking some stuff from that Uchiha brat and I know that you don't like it but you shouldn't just lie down and take it. You are an Inuzuka; we don't just take shit like that. For the next month, we will be doing these exercises. After the month, I promise, you will dominate that little puissant." Tsume said with a smile. Kiba looked at her before smiling at his mother.

_**XXX**_

Miyuki looked at Naruto as he focused on his penmanship. She was wondering what crawled up his butt to put his all in learning. While she didn't mind, she kind of missed her hyper student. That's when she heard Naruto mutter something. She moved closer and listened.

"He thinks that he could mess with one of my friends? I'm going to show him. He's going to wish that he never did that. I'm going to get better and going to prank his ass so bad." She heard him mutter. She got a grin on his face. Who was she to not help him prank someone? She actually liked when he did that.

_**XXX**_

Kiba and Akamaru were once again lying on the ground. It had been a week and Kiba was wondering if his mother was just punishing him. He was again drenched in water before getting a bottle of water. Tsume watched him and could see that he was starting to have doubts. She just smiled and looked at him.

"You think that this is not going to work huh?" Tsume asked. Kiba looked at his mother with surprise. He was about to deny it but he remembered who he was talking to.

"Well, it's just that I don't feel any different. Except with a couple of sore muscles, I really don't know what this will do? Can you explain what we are doing?" Kiba asked.

"Sure, just watch me." She said. She stood in front of a log that was hanging from a piece of rope. Kiba watch as his mother got into the Four Legs Jutsu before vanishing. She reappeared later in front of the log and slammed her elbow into it. Kiba winced when he heard the log crack. Tsume stood and stopped the log from swinging. She walked back to her son and allowed him to check the log. Kiba did just that and saw that large crack that ran down the log. The log them split in two and feel off the rope. He shocked by the damage his mother got with just one lunge. He looked at his mother for some answers.

"You know that the Four Legs Jutsu improves your speed, strength and all-around abilities. Still, shouldn't you training your body some more instead of relying on that jutsu? That's what we're doing. The training I'm having you do is toughen your muscles. They will be screaming but it will also tighten those muscles, so when you do charge forward it would be at a speed that very few can follow. The added effect is that when you use the jutsu, your abilities are doubled, even tripled." Tsume explained.

"No way? Alright then, let's get back to training!" Kiba cheered. Tsume smiled and pushed her son even more. He did not complain.

_**XXX**_

A month had passed for Naruto and Kiba. The training that Kiba had gone through was some of the toughest that he had gone through but he began to see results. He couldn't wait to repay Sasuke for what he did to him during the spar. Naruto had also pushed himself and Miyuki was more than happy to push him. He could now put his plan into motion.

He had a couple of students keeping a lookout for the instructors or Sasuke. Everyone watched with wide eyes as Naruto got to work with his calligraphy set. The speed that he wrote was amazing and he did not even slow down. He wrote characters on either side of the door frame. He did the same at the door at the bottom of the class room. When he finished, Naruto then placed a piece of paper at both entrances and hid them. With his work done, Naruto quickly made his way to his seat. The guys who were lookouts also returned to their seats. They were going to see something really funny or a massive failure.

It would five minutes of waiting when Sasuke entered from the door to the back. His foot had landed on the piece of paper that Naruto hid. This would trigger the characters that Naruto wrote on the door. As soon as Sasuke stepped through, he was splattered with neon orange paint. It came at him from both sides of the door, covering head to toe with paint. Sasuke was surprised by the sudden attack and sputtered. The fan girls who were following him were in shock whiles the boys who watched the scene, were laughing their asses off. They couldn't believe that Naruto's plan worked.

Sasuke took some paint out of his eyes and looked at the door. He did not see any buckets or wires that would have been tripped. Still, he knew of only one person that would do something like this. He turned his attention to the orange wearing idiot that was Naruto Uzumaki. This was his doing, he just knew it. He was about to go and beat him senseless but that's when Iruka and Mizuki entered. They saw Sasuke and wondered what was going on.

"What's going on here?" Iruka asked.

"It was that loser, Naruto! Only he could come up with something like this!" Sasuke exclaimed. Iruka looked at Naruto with a glare. Naruto held up his hands.

"Hey, there are no buckets or wires by the doors. Do you really think I'm that fast to get all that stuff cleaned up once the trap was set? It wasn't me and I dare you to prove that it was." Naruto challenged. Iruka did just that and checked the door. He did not find any wires or buckets. It looked like the trap was set right between the door frames but he did not see anything. There was just no evidence that Naruto set any trap. While this was his signature, he could not punish him if there was no proof. He faced Naruto with an annoyed look.

"While I can't prove that this was you Naruto, I know what you like to do. You will clean up this mess." Iruka said. Naruto scoffed but he did not argue the punishment. Sasuke was still livid but he could do nothing. He was allowed to go and get cleaned up. He glared at Naruto promising to get back at him for this humiliation.

_**XXX**_

Two days later, the class was outside. Today was sparring and everyone was waiting to go. Sasuke was especially waiting to deal with Naruto. Today was the day that everyone got to choose their opponents. Sasuke was going to pick Naruto and beat him until he couldn't move. He was still angry at him for his little prank.

"Okay, Kiba Inuzuka, who do you want to face?" the instructor asked.

"I want to fight Sasuke." Kiba said while cracking his knuckles. Sasuke gave Kiba an annoyed look but he wasn't going to back down from him. He even thought that he would get to embarrass Kiba again and get even with Naruto at the same time. Sasuke just stepped into the ring and faced Kiba. Kiba got into his stance while Sasuke looked bored. The instructor dropped his hand to start the spar. Within seconds, Sasuke found himself on the ground. He looked surprised by this. That's when the pain registered and he rubbed his jaw. Kiba appeared above him and looked to bring his foot down. Sasuke rolled out of the way and lashed out with a kick. Kiba darted away and reset himself.

Sasuke was back to his feet only to see Kiba in his face. Sasuke threw a punch but he hit nothing. Sasuke got hit again with a back-fist. Sasuke steadied himself and threw a kick behind him. Again he hit nothing and he paid for it with another punch to his jaw. Everyone watched with shock as Kiba's hit-and-run tactics were beginning to wear down Sasuke. He was also faster than before. Sasuke couldn't keep track of him.

Kiba decided to end the fight. Lunging at high speed, Kiba slammed his shoulder into Sasuke's gut. Sasuke felt the air leave his lungs. He was sent flying outside of the ring. Sasuke tumbled a bit before lying on his stomach. The instructor ended the fight and Kiba was the victor. He checked Sasuke over. The last Uchiha was okay but he just needed to get his breath back. Sasuke's fan-girls were also checking Sasuke over and glaring at Kiba for hurting him. Kiba wasn't scared and was just happy that he was the winner.

_**XXX**_

Kiba and Akamaru were hanging with the others on a hill. Kiba just couldn't stop talking about his victory. It was starting to get Shikamaru's nerves.

"Okay, enough Kiba. You won, Sasuke loss, we get it." Shikamaru said with an annoyed sigh.

"Geez man, I was just enjoying my win. Why do you have to rain on my parade?" Kiba demanded.

"Because I don't care that you won. I bet that you did all that training just to beat Sasuke. Now, you're going to go back to your usual training methods." Shikamaru said.

"Why would I do that?" Kiba asked with confusion. The others looked at Kiba. "Why would I go back to my old ways? Didn't you see what I did to Sasuke in the ring? That was only a month of the training that my mom put me through. Can you image if I continue that training until I graduate in three years? I will be awesome!"

"That's a pretty good point. It took me a month of really paying attention in my calligraphy class to get up to that skill of writing. If I continue on this track like Kiba, I might be able to learn some of that cool fūinjutsu, like barriers or seal removal or cursed seals." Naruto said excitedly.

"Yeah, Naruto gets what I'm talking about. You guys should get in on it. Don't you guys want to be ahead of the class?" Kiba asked.

"It sounds like too much work." Shikamaru said with a sigh. Kiba and Naruto just frowned at him but Choji looked at his two friends with some curiosity.

_**XXXXX**_

_**Authors' Notes**_: Well, here's a new chapter. I remembered that I just had Kiba and Tsume train for a month and not really explain it. The same with Naruto but I still did that. Anyway, I like how I did this chapter. I still plan on something else for Kiba but I might change it from kenjutsu. I don't really know yet. I might just put up a poll. Anyway, enjoy the new chapter.


	9. Chapter 9

_**Chapter 9**_ – Growing Up

It had been a week since the talk with his friends and Choji was still thinking about what was said. While Choji mostly followed Shikamaru's way of thinking, he wouldn't lie to himself and say that he wasn't envious of Naruto and Kiba. Naruto's prank on Sasuke was still the talk of the class. The fact that no one could prove that he did it only made Naruto bolder. His next prank that he did on Mizuki was really funny. Naruto was taking his sealing art to the next level.

Kiba was a different story all together. He had officially become the fastest kid in their class. He had only gotten a little faster since his win against Sasuke but it was noticeable. The obstacle course record that once belonged to Sasuke, now belong to Kiba and it would never be broken. Kiba enjoyed it and he kind of lord it over the rest of the class. Still, he was still envious of the two because they were actually doing something productive.

Choji walked around the compound of the Akimichi in deep thought. That's when he came across the main training hall of the compound. He peeked in and watched as several Akimichi kids were using a staff. They follow the instructions of the teacher. Choji just looked at the class and was intrigued by what he was seeing. As he watched, he did not see someone come up behind him.

"Choji?" the voice said. Choji jumped up and turned around to see a good friend of the family. His name was Dotō Akimichi. He was a very skilled veteran of the Third Shinobi World War. He was now retired and was on the council of the clan. He was like a second grandfather to him.

"Oh, sorry about that. You kind of scared me there." Choji said. Dotō just smiled at the boy. He then looked into the dojo then back at Choji.

"Are you interested in learning the clan's staff style?" he asked him. Choji just rubbed his head and chuckled.

_**XXX**_

Chiharu was humming a tune as she made dinner for her family. As she cooked, her husband entered the kitchen. She was about to chase him away when she got a good look at him. He had this surprised look on his face and it worried her.

"Honey, what's wrong?" Chiharu asked concerned.

"I… I don't really know. I was coming from a meeting and I ran into Dotō. He told me that Choji has signed up for staff training." Chōza said.

"C-Choji, our Choji?" Chiharu asked with shock. That's when Choji entered the kitchen.

"Hey mom, is dinner ready? I'm really hungry." Choji said with a grin. His parents just looked at him and he was starting to get worried.

_**XXX**_

Shikamaru was annoyed. He didn't even pay attention to the lesson that was on something he was interested him. He was just so frustrated with his three friends. How could they do this to him? He just didn't understand why they would do this. It was because of them that he was in this situation at home. It all started two days ago.

_***Flashback***_

_Shikamaru and Shikaku were just sitting around doing nothing. It was a good day for the two as Yoshino was nowhere to be found. That meant that they could just lounge around for a while and relax. After about an hour, Yoshino returned and their relaxing was over. She then walked right up to Shikamaru and dropped two bags in front of him. Shikamaru looked at the bags and saw that they were full with books. He looked up to her and saw that she was serious._

"_What is this about?" Shikamaru asked._

"_This is about you acting like a lump while your friends are doing something. I know about Naruto's calligraphy and sealing jutsu. I also know about Kiba's improved abilities. Even Choji is doing something. I just learned that he is taking two days out of the week to learn staff techniques from his clan." Shikamaru was surprised to hear that about Choji. "So, why aren't you doing anything?"_

"_That just sounds too troublesome to do." Shikamaru stated. _

"_Well I'm not going to let you fall behind just because it is troublesome. You have to read through all these books and pick something to learn. If you don't, I'm going to sign you up for those classes after the academy is let out." Yoshino said. Shikamaru looked at her with wide eyes. All she did was grin at him._

_***Present***_

Shikamaru blamed his friends for this and decided to get back at them for it. He watched the window as Naruto and Kiba appeared from their underground escape route. They only got two steps when they heard Iruka's voice.

"So, this is how you've been escaping." Iruka said with an annoyed tone. "Well, I'll fix that after I fix you." The two attempted to bolt but Iruka was too quick. Both boys found themselves frozen in place and could not move. They both noticed a sealing array below them. Naruto instantly knew that there was no way to escape as he did not have the chakra control to break out of this. Iruka quickly tied the two up and dragged them back inside.

From the window, Shikamaru looked on and was intrigued by what he saw. While he was smirking at the fact that the two got caught, he was first surprised at how he froze the two in their place. He knew that his Shadow Possession Jutsu could do something like what he did but it wasn't that technique. He decided to ask Iruka about it after class.

_**XXX**_

Iruka was grading papers as the class filed out of the room. He was focused on his work when Shikamaru walked up to him. Iruka thought that the boy was going to ask for some type of reward but he noticed that he was waiting for everyone to leave. Once the room was cleared, Shikamaru faced him.

"Something on your mind Shikamaru?" Iruka asked.

"Yeah, it's about that thing you did to catch Naruto and Kiba. I've never seen anything like that. It was something like my Shadow Possession Jutsu." Shikamaru said.

"Oh that, it's called the String Light Formation. It's a barrier ninjutsu." Iruka answered him.

"Barrier ninjutsu?" Shikamaru asked.

"Barrier ninjutsu is when the user can erect barriers that can be used to protect themselves, or to trap an opponent, amongst other various uses. I dabbled in the art because it wasn't too hard. I wanted to do something that no one else had. I'm not a master of the art but I know enough to surprise even the strongest of opponents." Iruka said.

"Is that so? You wouldn't have a book on it would you?" Shikamaru asked. Iruka looked at the boy with shock.

"Uh, sure, I might have the book here. Just give me a moment and I'll get it for you." Iruka said and went to get the book for Shikamaru. When night came upon Konoha, Yoshino checked on her son. She smiled when she saw him with his face in a small little book. This made her happy that he was taking this serious. In the coming years, Yoshino would regret her decision to push her son into learning something.

_**XXX**_

Naruto groaned as he looked at another failure. He couldn't understand why this was so had. It was nothing more than a freaking illusion. That's what Iruka said to him. So why, why couldn't he do this damn Clone Jutsu. He looked on as the two dead looking clone disappeared. He sat on the ground and wondered what he going to do. While he could do the other two jutsu with ease, the Clone jutsu always tripped him up. He did not want to fail another test but what was he going to do.

"Looks like you're in a pickle kid." A voice said, gaining his attention. Naruto turned and faced the voice. He was surprised to see that Ibiki person. He hadn't seen him since that exercise they did. He was curious as to why he was here.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Naruto asked bluntly. Ibiki wasn't offended but he looked amused.

"I was just walking around and a saw you attempting to do something that is kind of out of your reach." Ibiki said. Naruto shot right up and looked at the man with a frown.

"I can get this stupid jutsu! I just need to train more!" Naruto exclaimed. He never did like it when people doubted him. Ibiki didn't look intimidated by the dirty look and just sighed.

"Tell me something kid. How can someone like you come out with a great way to change the academy be so clueless?" Naruto was starting to get angry by the man's insults. "You can get angry all you want but it's the truth. You can only get so far by just rushing into things and expecting it to work. I've kept up with those exercises that the class is going through now and every time I see your name, you've done well. Still, you can't figure out why this jutsu is too weak for you to do." Ibiki explained.

"Too weak, what are you talking about?" Naruto asked with confusion.

"Figure it out kid. You can't just expect the answers to come to you. You have to go out and find it." Ibiki said and walked away. Naruto just gave the guy a dirty look but he couldn't help but think about his words. Was he missing something about this jutsu? Naruto decided to go and find out what the trick was. Ibiki watched him leave. He saw the direction that he was going and just smirked. He continued on his way to his office.

_**XXX**_

Naruto was looking at the book that he found in the library. It was on the Clone Jutsu and he was even more confused. The jutsu did not require too much chakra and he wasn't using that much. What was that guy going on about that this jutsu was too weak? Annoyed and frustrated, he made his way out of the library. He walked around for a while, still thinking about what was said to him. What could Ibiki mean?

So deep in thought, Naruto bumped into someone. He quickly looked at who he bumped into and saw a regal looking woman. He recognized her though as one of Mrs. Nara's friends.

"Sorry Mrs. Yamanaka, I should have been watching where I was going." Naruto said nervously.

"It's quite alright. It must have been something important for you to not be concentrating." Noriko said.

"Yeah, this jerk messed with my head about a jutsu that I'm trying to master. He said that it was too weak for me but I'm doing exactly what the instructions are saying. I'm using as little chakra as possible to complete it." Naruto explained.

"Are you sure about that? I mean, are you positive that you are using the correct amount? Unless you're a sensor type of shinobi, I don't know if you can actually say that." Noriko explained.

"A sensor type of shinobi? What's that?"

_**XXX**_

Inoichi Yamanaka couldn't help but smirk at the stupid look that Naruto was giving him. When his wife came to the flower shop with the boy, he was curious as to why. When he learned of Naruto's problem, he decided to help the kid out. Chōza and Shikaku didn't seem to have any issues with him so he thought that he would do them a solid. When he explained Naruto's problem to him, the blond was in shock.

"B-But I'm using to least amount of chakra. I know I was." Naruto argued.

"Sorry but that's not true. Your lowest amount is actually enough for a C-rank jutsu. If you were planning on making a thousand clones, then you have the chakra but for two, there's no way for you to succeed. I don't even think with years of chakra control exercises will help you. It's actually something amazing Naruto. You're still growing and with your growth, expect your chakra to grow with you." Inoichi explained. He looked at Naruto and saw that he was disappointed. Inoichi knew why because he would not be able to pass the academy without creating two perfect clones.

After a while, Naruto's head popped up. Inoichi and Noriko looked on as Naruto seem to be thinking about something. After what seem like a long while, Naruto got a grin on his face. He then looked at the two elder Yamanaka.

"Thank you for your help. I know what I must do now." Naruto said. He ran out of the shop, nearly running down Ino. He shouted a sorry before continuing on his way. They could hear him cheering about something. The two looked at each other and wondered what was going on.

_**XXX**_

Naruto was carrying several scrolls that he just checked out of the library. They weren't jutsu scrolls but they were chakra theory scrolls. While Naruto was a little bummed that he couldn't do the Clone Jutsu, he suddenly got inspiration by a story the old man told him about the Second Hokage. He liked to create jutsu so why couldn't he? If the Clone Jutsu was out of his reach, why not create his own clone? Naruto made his way home to get to work.

_**XXXXX**_

_**Authors' Notes**_: Well, I like this chapter. I remembered the chapter I had before and I remembered that I never really gave Naruto any direction to create his own clone. I remember having him create a clone to pass the class and never explained how he even got the idea. So, I corrected that mistake. Anyway, enjoy the new chapter.


	10. Chapter 10

_**Chapter 10**_ – New Friend

It was now lunch time and everyone was kind of excited for today's exercise. They were excited due to the lecture that they had with their guest speaker, an ANBU commander. He spoke about what the ANBU did for the village. It was a little sugar coated but everyone got what the ANBU did for the village. The leader of the group of five told them that they will be ANBU for the day and will do an exercise depending of what they selected from the box. They all did this before lunch.

"Protection duty of a high-level diplomat, that sounds boring?" Naruto whined.

"You want to trade with me?" Shikamaru asked. They looked at his paper and saw that he had 'Assassination of a crime lord'.

"I don't think you can. The guy said that this will be the mission you have to do once you choose it." Kiba said. The two sighed in disappointment. Unknown to the group, a pair of annoyed eyes were looking at them. It was as if the eyes were trying to forcefully dig into their souls. These eyes belonged to the current 'Rookie of the Year', Sasuke Uchiha.

One could only wonder why he was even giving the losers the time of day. It had to do with the past couple of months in which he saw the four in a different light. He never did get Naruto back for his prank, even if he could not prove it. He followed the blond and watched as he went to some calligraphy teacher. He didn't really care why he was doing calligraphy but he saw nothing really new in Naruto's routine. He would have spied at him at home but somehow, the loser had some type of security that gave him a bad shock.

Then there was Kiba. He never really accepted the win that the mutt gained over him. It was a blow to his pride that burned deeply. From what he saw of Kiba and his dog, they jogged a lot. He couldn't get closer to his home due to the dogs that were always around. He saw that he was wearing weights and tried it himself. He got tired of the exercise after two weeks. He didn't feel any change and dismissed it. He kept spying on Kiba, looking to see anything else but he kept to his routine and did not change anything. It was frustrating because Kiba kept getting faster.

Then he saw changes in the two slackers of the group. Shikamaru didn't seem to do much but he was getting lessons from Iruka after class. Apparently, he was learning how to create barriers. Sasuke laughed that off as something weak. Choji apparently was learning how to use a weapon because he saw him doing drills with a staff. From what he saw, he was still a beginner and the style looked more defensive than offensive. While the two did not worry him, he was annoyed that it looked like that they were improving.

Sasuke just didn't really like the four. While he was one of the few that still considered them losers and slackers, he could see that they were more skilled than they let on. It also annoyed him that they seem to excel in this new system while he was only doing average. Not once did he get above any of them when it came to these exercises. What made it even more annoying was the fact that they got praised by the people that administered the exercises while he only got criticized. He didn't like it and it needed to change now.

Watching Sasuke, his fan-girls could see his frustration and saw that he was looking at the table where the losers sat. They did not know why he was frustrated by them but they frustrated him and that was a no-no. They decided to confront the group and get them to stop. They gathered and marched over to the group. Shikamaru saw the group coming toward them and warned the guys. They all looked and saw Ami and Sakura at the head.

Naruto still had a crush on the pink-haired ninja in training but it had kind of fizzled somewhat. When he threw himself in learning his clan's art and improving his own skills, he just didn't have the time or energy to ask her out or to impress her. He also began to see that he was kind of wasting his time do that due to the talk Hana had with him. His crush was still there but it just wasn't as strong.

Naruto faced the group with a grin.

"Hey Sakura, what can I do for you?" Naruto asked happily.

"You can stop bothering Sasuke, all of you can." Sakura stated. The four looked at each other before looking over to Sasuke. They saw him look away from them and then walk off. They then turned back to the group of girls.

"What exactly did we do to Sasuke?" Kiba asked.

"We don't know and we don't care. For the past couple of months, he's been giving you four the stink eye. It's probably your fault Naruto. That prank you played on him wasn't funny." Ami said loudly.

"It was never proven that I did that." Naruto joked.

"Just shut up Naruto! You think that you're so cool but you're not! Just leave Sasuke alone or face the consequences!" Sakura threaten. Naruto lost his smile and gave Sakura a serious look.

"Look, I'm not going to be yelled at for something I didn't do. If Sasuke has an issue with us, let him come and tell us. Sasuke is a big boy that can take care of himself. He doesn't need fan-girls coming to his defense." Naruto said.

"What did you call us?!" they shouted.

"I called you guys' fan-girls. You don't do much because you feel that it would make you all sweaty. You might accuse me of acting cool but I know that I'll be ready for the ninja life. What about you?" Naruto asked. The girls were boiling at his words. Naruto just shook his head and walked away before anything could happen. The others followed him, not wanting to be around the group of girls. Everyone who watched was surprised by what just happened. After a while, the group forgot Naruto's words and went to look for the object of their affection.

_**XXX**_

After the lunch, the exercise began. Naruto met up with three others. One of them was Hinata Hyūga. As they gathered with another group that got the same assignment, the ANBU assigned to them faced them.

"Okay, you guys are ANBU and you are tasked with protection. You must get your diplomat to the entrance from the doors of the academy. Iruka-sensei will be the one that you will be protecting. I will be the assassin. I will also be using clones, disguised as a crowd. Are we understood?" the masked woman said.

"Hai sensei." They said.

"I will give you five minutes to plan." The woman said and the two groups decided to plan.

"Okay Uzumaki, what's the plan?" one of the boys said.

"You trust me with this? Aren't I one of 'the losers'?" Naruto mocked.

"Well yeah but you and your other friends are the only ones who do well in these exercises. So, what's your plan?" the other boy said. Naruto just looked at them and smirked. He liked this power he had.

"Okay, we need to assume that this woman would not just be the main attacker. Something tells me that she might have a hidden surprise." Naruto said.

"What makes you say that?" asked one of the boys.

"It's something that Shikamaru did to me in a shogi game. Always expect the unexpected is the motto that I use when I face him. That's where Hinata comes in." Naruto said. The meek girl jumped up when he said that.

"M-Me?" Hinata asked.

"Yeah, you're the rock star of the team. With you, we're going to pass for sure." Naruto said with a grin.

_**XXX**_

The group of Naruto, Hinata and the two boys went first. They surrounded Iruka in a diamond formation with Naruto in front, the two boys at the flanks and Hinata in the back. They moved through the crowd with some ease. That's when the crowd started to get rowdy. The two boys kept them for getting close to Iruka and still kept moving. That's when Hinata spoke up.

"A wolf is m-moving, coming up the f-flank." Hinata said. The boys nodded and Naruto quickly threw a smoke bomb on the ground. It covered the group and made the crowd back away. From out of the smoke, Hinata and Naruto pushed Iruka through the crowd. They were packed tight and moving fast. They were nearing the entrance when Hinata shouted. "Second wolf, hostile close!" Naruto moved quickly and caught a hand that attempted to stab Iruka. Naruto quickly disabled him with a quick slash of his kunai. They continued to move through until they reached the entrance. With that, the exercise was over.

The two boys ran up to them and told the two that they were able to stop the woman but she just dispelled into smoke. That's when they heard clapping. It came from the ANBU and Iruka.

"That was very impressive. I do have some criticism. I would not have used such a distraction. It's too noisy and crazy. Also, I would have had the two who captured the first clone immediately return to cover you. However, you used Hinata's Byakugan perfectly and I liked how you identified the danger. You have all gotten high marks." The woman said. The group cheered.

_**XXX**_

At the end of class, Naruto was making his way out. He had gotten another high mark and he was going to celebrate. He had asked the two boys if he wanted to join but they just laughed at him. He should have known better but he didn't let it bother him. As he was exiting, he saw Hinata. It looked like that she was waiting for him.

"Oh hey Hinata, did you want something?" Naruto asked.

"Um," she began but she was just so nervous. Naruto gave her a really confused look. Hinata took a deep breath and faced him. "Um, t-thank you for b-believing in me. I-I know that I-I'm shy but thank y-you for having c-confidence in me."

"No problem Hinata. Like I said, you were the rock star of the group. I've read what I can about your Byakugan and it's perfect for that type of mission. I had faith in you." Naruto said. Hinata was blushing red at Naruto's words. Naruto looked at her with confusion. That's when he remembered that Hinata was on his team too. "Hey Hinata, you want to get some ramen with me? You know, to celebrate our victory?" Hinata processed his words and was even redder. Naruto put his hand on her head and asked if she was alright and that was it for Hinata.

She fainted right there, shocking Naruto. The blond did not know what to do and quickly went to find Iruka.

_**XXX**_

Hinata was awakened by some type of smell. She shot up and quickly shook the cobwebs out. She looked to see Iruka and Naruto, who let out a breath of relief.

"W-What happened?" Hinata asked.

"You got all red and I thought you were getting a fever. I touched your forehead and you just fainted. Are you okay Hinata?" Naruto asked.

"Um, yes, I think I-I'm alright." Hinata said.

"I think that I will take you home Hinata, just to make sure that you're alright." Iruka offered. Hinata nodded and thanked him.

"Well, I hope you get home safely Hinata. Remember, you and I got have that ramen for our victory today, okay?" Naruto asked. Hinata nodded and Naruto took off. Hinata smiled at the fact that Naruto still wanted to take her out for ramen. Iruka just chuckled at the situation.

_**XXX**_

Since that day, Hinata had become a good friend of the guys. At first, she was just Naruto's friend. They had that ramen and the two got to know each other. Hinata kept a lot in, something that Naruto noticed but he didn't push. Naruto continued to talk to Hinata at the beginning, during and after class. Everyone thought Naruto had gotten the hint of Hinata's feeling but they realized that he was still just as clueless. It got the two a lot of snickers, which made Hinata blush and Naruto even more confused.

After a while, Hinata was introduced to the group. They all welcomed her without any issues. She was still quite shy with them but that was slowly changing as she continued to hang with the group. Even her father was please at her changing attitude. He didn't know why the change was happening or who was responsible for the change but he didn't need to know that. Either way, Hinata had become a well-liked friend of the group. Everyone was happy and having a time.

_**XXXXX**_

_**Authors' Notes**_: Well, here's a new chapter. Sorry that I haven't been writing as much. I've had to do a lot and my aunt recently got out of the hospital so I had to watch over her, take her to appointments. So, I am going to be writing a bit more but I'm going to do more writing.

During the week, I will try and take three hours out of the day to write something. I will focus on only one story at the time, so you would get at least two, three chapters for each chapter. So, keep your eyes out.


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